US President’s bet that economy would boost Democrats falls flat

Gulf Today Report

The US economy was supposed to help President Joe Biden and Democrats, but as of late it's been hurting them with voters.

Biden on Friday praised the US economy for performing better than the rest of the world, saying it's largely because of his $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package and plans for additional spending of roughly $2.75 trillion on infrastructure, families, schools, health care and climate change.

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Meanwhile, Biden's $1.75 trillion social-policy and climate-change legislation cleared a procedural vote in the US House of Representatives on Saturday, but the chamber was not expected to vote on the actual substance of the bill until later this month at the earliest.

Yet Americans have turned pessimistic about the economy as inflation has persisted. On Tuesday, voters in Virginia rewarded Republican Glenn Youngkin with a win in the governor's election in part based on a belief that he would be better for economic growth. The president could not ignore these realities, yet he said Friday at the White House that the latest numbers show a ruggedly energetic economy.

People walk along East State Street in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, on Thursday. AP

"We still have to tackle the costs that American families are facing, but this recovery is faster, stronger and fairer and wider than almost anyone could have predicted,” Biden said. "That’s what the numbers say.”

The president also acknowledged that voters can't just rely on the numbers - they need to "feel it in their lives and their bank accounts and their hopes and expectations.”

This question as to whether Americans are feeling what the economic numbers show is at the heart of Biden's challenge in the months leading up to the 2022 elections, when control of the House and Senate could possibly slip from the Democrats. It's not enough for the president to highlight Friday's employment report of 531,000 job gains and a 4.6% unemployment report in October, so long as the pandemic rages and shortages of basic goods ranging from auto to furniture keep pushing up prices.