Posted BY: Blaine L. Pardoe
In this post-election haze, many conservatives are understandably confused. If the economy was such a high-priority issue, and the Democrats were mostly responsible for the runaway inflation — why didn’t the Republicans win more seats? Efforts to lay the blame at the doorstep of Donald Trump are pointless and a wasted exercise. Pointing to abortion as a key issue deflects from the real issue at hand.
The cause of the election loss is relatively simple — Americans have not suffered enough pain with this economy — yet.
Inflation hits everyone — it is an indiscriminate irritant that impacts people regardless of class, race, or any other social divider. It is bad, everyone knows the actual rate of inflation is higher than what the government has reported. Inflation is experienced every day, on every shopping trip. Over a third of the country saw their retirement funds take hits that will require years to recover from as the stock market attempted to react to the inflationary spending out of Washington, D.C.
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The problem is, that while inflation is frustrating, Americans haven’t felt the real pains of a down economy. Inflation is something that people manage. They purchase less or change what they spend money on. Instead of purchasing an expensive six-pack of craft beer, people will buy a less expensive beer. Rather than buy steak, they will purchase alternatives to ease the pain. The number of nights eating out is reduced or the restaurants that are chosen are less expensive. The bottom line is that no one is starving as a result of the current inflation. Inflation is a force that can be mitigated — it can be coped with.
Americans are also aware that Democrats are not responsible for inflation, contrary to your unjustified claim, and hence can vote on the issues regardless of the impacts of inflation. Those issues decided the election against Republicans. And Republicans have nothing to blame but their regressive politics and hatemongering. Cheering on the overturning of a key Women’s rights issue is never going to get you votes, certainly not from many women especially, but did that alone decide the election? No. Other issues are the Republican opposition to student loan forgiveness, an issue that is now in its third year with a crisis looming if repayments are restarted from the cold without any measures to soften the blow. That issue alone affects millions of people, and millions of voters. Cheering on the stoppage of the deferment or denial of forgiveness will certainly make a lot of voters go the other way. Do Republicans have a plan? Of course not. Even though they started the program they want to make sure that any fallout happens on a Democrat’s watch, as usual. If they can force Biden to restart them without any softening measures, then they will have once again started something that a Democrat had to finish. Fortunately Biden is pursuing it and the deferment is on again til the summer or until the SCOTUS challenges are resolved.
Another issue at hand is that Biden, despite polling, still has managed some key wins politically. He has been supremely effective at opposing Russia’s war against Ukraine, with that country now seeing victory after victory on the battlefield, and you might say that due to Biden’s championing of their cause, he has turned the paper tiger of Russia wet for all to see. Conservatives should glory in this of all people, but yet, like you, they instead seek only to jeer Biden and even blame him. While Foreign Policy doesn’t hugely impact people’s voting, there would also be enough who see his work as a fundamental good, unlike many Republicans who just can’t give credit where its due. Like yourself.