House Democrats have realized that ‘Bidenomics’ is politically radioactive, but journalists continue to argue the economy is in good shape.
Welcome back to Forgotten Fact Checks, a weekly column produced by National Review’s News Desk. This week, we look at the media’s latest Biden PR campaign, round up the most callous reactions to Henry Kissinger’s death, and cover more media misses.
Media Gaslights Americans on the Economy
House Democrats have apparently recognized that use of the term “Bidenomics” is politically radioactive.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and House Majority PAC are avoiding using the term on social media and in press releases “as polling indicates the tagline is ineffective,” Axios reported Sunday.
House Democrats have instead settled on the tagline “People Over Politics” as a replacement for “Bidenomics.”
But Democrats and the media have not exactly put “People over Politics” in discussing the economy as of late, demonstrating an unyielding commitment to convincing suffering Americans that the economy isn’t so bad after all.
After publishing a report that found “Americans need an extra $11,400 today just to afford the basics,” CBS News then published a story with reporting from the Associated Press that insisted the economy is actually “doing even better than the government thought.”
“The typical American household must spend an additional $11,434 annually just to maintain the same standard of living they enjoyed in January of 2021, right before inflation soared to 40-year highs, according to a recent analysis of government data,” the first article told readers, citing a report from Republican members of the Senate Joint Economic Committee.
“Although inflation is cooling, many consumers may not be feeling much relief because most prices aren’t declining. . . . Consumers are still paying more, albeit at a slower pace, on top of the higher prices that were locked in when price hikes surged in 2022 and earlier this year,” the first CBS report read.
But the second report, published only hours later, painted a rosier picture.
“Shrugging off higher interest rates, America’s consumers spent enough to help drive the economy to a brisk 5.2% annual pace from July through September, the Bureau of Economic Analysis reported Wednesday in an upgrade from its previous estimate. The government had previously estimated that the economy grew at a 4.9% annual rate last quarter,” it said.
And earlier last month, CBS explained in another article: “Inflation is slowing — really. Here’s why Americans aren’t feeling it.”
“Many Americans remain dour on the state of the economy, with the price of necessities like food and rent a lingering source of pain. Although it may seem like small consolation for cash-strapped consumers, economists have some good news. Really,” the piece said.
“To be sure, consumers don’t experience the economy as annualized rates of change in prices. A gallon of gas or milk either costs more than it did a year ago or less,” it acknowledges.
The Atlantic offered its own defense of Biden’s economy one week earlier, helpfully explaining, “Why Americans Hate a Good Economy.”
The article attempts to explain away why a recent Financial Times poll found the majority of voters say they are financially worse off under Biden. The Atlantic argues Americans hold negative views of the economy because of media coverage, high expectations, and a messaging failure on the part of Democrats.
In October, NPR said Americans are “grumpy” despite the “humming” economy.
And in November, Politico reported that while “low unemployment, real wage growth and a fast-growing economy should be providing a boost to the public’s perception of Biden’s economic policies. It hasn’t, as countless polls demonstrate.”
Democratic strategist James Carville was dismissive of voters’ economic experiences in comments to the outlet. “People have just rendered a judgment and are not revisiting the judgment,” he said.
“People’s attitudes about the economy are pretty stubbornly in the wrong place,” Carville added.
President Biden himself bragged about the economy last week saying, “You know, from turkey, to air travel, to a tank of gas, costs went down. They went down. . . . And I want you all to know that. . . . Wages for working families have gone up while inflation has come down 65 percent — giving families a little more money in their pockets and a little more breathing room this holiday season.”
But as NR’s Jim Geraghty explains:
Biden and his staff measure inflation by the rate of increase in prices from one year to the next; the Consumer Price Index indicates prices grew 3.2 percent from October 2022 to October 2023. That is indeed significantly lower than the 7.7 percent in October 2022, or the 9.1 percent in June 2022, or the 6.2 percent in October 2021.
But the public’s perception of inflation is shaped by prices, not the rate of increase from one year to the next. And prices are still really high; that CPI figure is telling us we’re paying 3.2 percent more than the high prices of last year, which were almost 8 percent higher than the high prices of the year before that, which were 6 percent higher than the prices of the year before that. Remember, for a long stretch, the CPI was anywhere from zero to 2 or 2.5 percent year to year.
Headline Fail of the Week
Several media outlets showed a complete lack of tact in reporting on the death of Henry Kissinger last week. A Rolling Stone headline read, “Henry Kissinger, War Criminal Beloved by America’s Ruling Class, Finally Dies.”
“The infamy of Nixon’s foreign-policy architect sits, eternally, beside that of history’s worst mass murderers. A deeper shame attaches to the country that celebrates him,” a subheading adds.
The article concludes with a particularly warm sentiment: “GOOD RIDDANCE.”
Meanwhile, the Huffington Post told readers: “Henry Kissinger Was A War Criminal, But Presidents And Celebrities Smiled With Him.”
Media Misses
• CNN reported on a bill from the Philadelphia City Council that bans the use of ski masks in some public places, explaining that while supporters of the measure say it will help law enforcement solve crimes, “civil rights advocates believe [it] will criminalize people of color.”
• Jerusalem Post removed a story that claimed, “Al Jazeera posts blurred doll, claims it to be a dead Palestinian baby” after additional reporting revealed the photo did in fact show a dead baby.
“Over the weekend, we shared an article based on faulty sourcing. The article in question did not meet our editorial standards and was thus removed. We take this matter seriously and will be handling it internally in order to prevent similar incidents from reoccurring. We regret this incident and remain committed to upholding the highest journalistic standards at all times,” the outlet said.
Over the weekend, we shared an article based on faulty sourcing. The article in question did not meet our editorial standards and was thus removed.
We take this matter seriously and will be handling it internally in order to prevent similar incidents from reoccurring.
We…
— The Jerusalem Post (@Jerusalem_Post) December 2, 2023
• Frank Bruni offered this unusual piece of fiction in the New York Times:
It’s remarkable how fixated Ron DeSantis and Gavin Newsom have been on each other. It’s weird. These two opposite-party governors from opposite coasts of the country have been sparring — repeatedly, haughtily, naughtily — for more than two years. If their debate on Thursday night had been the climactic scene in a Hollywood rom-com, Newsom would have left his lectern, marched purposefully over to DeSantis, cut him off mid-insult and swept him into his arms, the tension between them revealed as equal parts ideological and erotic.