Kamala Harris’s Policy Agenda Kneecapped Her Chances
So, how did Kamala Harris lose to a surly opponent who had been found guilty of 34 felonies and liable for broad business fraud and sexual abuse? While she had to shoulder the burden of President Biden’s dismal performance numbers, her skills as a campaigner were clearly up to the task. She also had all the money she needed, and… Continue reading
Based on Incomes, Americans Are a Lot Better Off Under…
In their only 1980 presidential debate, Ronald Reagan posed a famous question that sealed Jimmy Carter's political fate: "Are you better now than you were four years ago?" Bill Clinton similarly denied George H. W. Bush a second term in 1992 by running a campaign based on James Carville's famous expression, "It's the economy, stupid." Donald Trump faces a real…Continue reading
Data Don’t Lie: Biden’s Economic Record is Much Better than…
Donald Trump's prospects for a second presidential term may well rest on whether voters accept his proposition that facts no longer matter. A case in point is his narrative that the economy was stronger during his presidency than under President Joe Biden. With few reality checks from the economic media, most of the public apparently agrees: One recent survey found…Continue reading
Why Biden’s Good Economic News Hasn’t Helped Him Politically —…
Americans’ negative views about President Joe Biden’s stewardship of the economy may be the biggest challenge to his reelection. Despite healthy GDP growth and the largest job gains on record over his 35 months in office, the latest Gallup poll found that people disapprove of the president’s handling of the economy by a 67-to-32 percent margin. The latest Morning Consult survey reported that 51 percent…Continue reading
When You Know How Polls Work, You Realize that the…
Despite four criminal indictments with 91 felony charges, recent surveys show Donald Trump leading Joe Biden narrowly. Or by as much as 10 points. Or trailing by a point or two. Or down by five. This array of results has left many Democrats and some Republicans anxious about their candidate’s prospects. They should take a breath and get back to…Continue reading
Trade Agreements Have Created U.S. Jobs And Raised U.S. Incomes
The rising political opposition to open trade from both the left and the right is an instance, and one among many, of how today’s policy debates become decoupled from reality. On this Labor Day week, recognizing how our current trade and investment arrangements generate broad benefits for workers and consumers matters, lest the growing anti-trade faction unwittingly unravels them. A…Continue reading
Oops! Ron DeSantis’s Economic Program and Critique Make the Case…for…
Despite Donald Trump’s indictments and looming trials, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis faces virtually insurmountable challenges in his bid to defeat his party’s cult leader and win the GOP nomination. In the latest reboot of his faltering campaign, DeSantis has shifted his attention away from woke to the economy. This effort will almost certainly fail, but it’s instructive because the DeSantis…Continue reading
More Encouraging News on Inflation Means the Fed Should Pause…
The Biden administration has pulled off a remarkable two-step—at once, beating inflation while expanding employment. In both cases, policy decisions drove the results—10 interest rate increases to tame inflation; and, to bolster employment, major stimulus for the pandemic, followed by programs of large-scale infrastructure investments and tax benefits aimed at bolstering American industry in areas such as clean energy and…Continue reading
Why Don’t Americans Recognize that Inflation is Down and Incomes…
My late boss, Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, a sage and successful politician, once told me that in politics, “If you don’t get credit, it didn’t happen.” The White House and congressional Democrats need to relearn that lesson. In March 2022, 75 percent of Americans thought the economy was flailing despite more than a year of historic gains in GDP and…Continue reading