President Joe Biden goes into next year’s election with a vexing challenge: Just as the U.S. economy is getting stronger, people are still feeling horrible about it.

Pollsters and economists say there has never been as wide a gap between the underlying health of the economy and public perception. The divergence could be a decisive factor in whether the Democrat secures a second term next year. Republicans are seizing on the dissatisfaction to skewer Biden, while the White House is finding less success as it tries to highlight economic progress.

“Things are getting better and people think things are going to get worse — and that’s the most dangerous piece of this," said Democratic pollster Celinda Lake, who has worked with Biden. Lake said voters no longer want to just see inflation rates fall — rather, they want an outright decline in prices, something that last happened on a large scale during the Great Depression.

“Honestly, I’m kind of mystified by it,” she said.

  • JJROKCZ
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    501 year ago

    Because they’re calling the stock market “the economy” instead of actually looking at the qol of the average American. It’s just more ammo for the government only cares about the rich and corps argument

    • @Fades
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      81 year ago

      No, no they aren’t, your comment is simplifying the issues here, not sure if you just don’t know what you’re talking about or what.

      Things like record lows for unemployment for example, nothing to do with the stock market. There have been a lot of important wins for Americans.

      with that said, the number one reason it hasn’t touched the QoL for the average American is because all of these capitalist pigs refuse to stop price gouging. That is where it hits us, the gas tank the grocery store, etc. they skyrocketed prices while shrinking sizes and all that because fuck you

      Open your fucking eyes, the bigger problem is our out of control corporations

      • @MrPoopbutt
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        191 year ago

        Unemployment is a bullshit number. There are a lot of ways you can be uncounted in those numbers.

        Not saying I am aware of a better number, or if one even exists.

        • @dragonflyteaparty
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          91 year ago

          I don’t know either, but it’s absolute bullshit. As far as I know, unemployment only counts only those who are looking for work, but can’t find it. What about those unemployed, want to be employed, couldn’t find a job, and gave up?

      • Semi-Hemi-Demigod
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        fedilink
        181 year ago

        Things like record lows for unemployment for example, nothing to do with the stock market. There have been a lot of important wins for Americans.

        People are working two and three jobs to get by. And our unemployment figure doesn’t count people who have given up looking for work. Saying “unemployment is low” is not the flex you think it is.

        • @Chriswild
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          71 year ago

          The problem is that employment isn’t enough not that there isn’t enough employment.

      • @laverabe
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        1 year ago

        Just on a tangent here - I agree with everything you said except for the gas price part. Gas prices are at a 3 year low, and when you adjust for inflation we are not that far off from an all time historical low price of gas.

        There are cars out there that get insanely good mpg now. 100-200 empg for EVs and even 57 mpg on a Prius. The fact that 90% of the cars on the road in the US are SUVs or trucks just shows how selfish people are. The average US driver drives 37 miles a day, at $3 a gallon & 57mpg that comes to a monthly gas expense of $58. A pretty minor expense when you compare it to rising costs at the grocery store.