The leftist Washington Post just can’t resist treating Americans as if they’re just dumb for thinking Bidenomics is a disaster despite their ongoing economic hardships.
The Post ran a condescending headline on Nov. 13 that was about as stupid as it was patronizing: “The economy is booming, but inflation continues to sour Americans.” The sub-headline was just as ridiculous: "Rising wages and strong economic growth haven’t been enough to convince voters that the president’s policies are working for them."
The leftist rag gaslighted voters by making it seem like they shouldn’t believe their lying eyes about the cost-of-living crisis they’re facing: “Most Americans are financially better off than they were before the coronavirus pandemic, but they feel worse about their economic prospects.”
In essence, Americans are supposedly just making up the fact that “[i]nflation has outpaced wage growth since 2021,” as investment company Social Finance (SoFi) reported on Oct. 31. “Since the start of 2020, the cost of living rose 18.3%, compared to a 17.6% increase for wages. This has resulted in negative nominal wage growth for the average American. In other words, your paycheck simply isn’t going as far,” SoFi concluded.
But the newspaper proceeded to deceive its readership by propagandizing about a supposed “string of eye-popping data points — strong economic growth, unemployment at longtime lows, wages finally outpacing inflation, all leaving Americans with more money in their bank accounts than they have had in years.” The newspaper put the blame for America’s disillusionment with Biden on “rising prices.” No kidding, Sherlock! Heritage economist EJ Antoni blasted The Post’s blatant deception in comments to MRC Business:
The gaslighting from the Biden administration and its lackeys in the media is truly astounding. It’s obvious why people say they’re worse off under Biden—it’s because they are. The fact that families are lied to about the economy is not going to change their perception of their own financial situation. For example, the latest line from the administration is that wages are outpacing inflation, but the administration’s own data say otherwise. Weekly earnings have fallen behind inflation for the last four months and the annual increase in weekly earnings has been outpaced by inflation in 27 of the last 31 months. That’s progress? Hardly, but it is ‘Bidenomics.’
Center for Freedom and Prosperity President Dan Mitchell also lambasted the newspaper for "cherry-picking data." As Mitchell put it, "That would be the only logical explanation for the failure to acknowledge what's happened to median household income. And the author also conveniently ignores the data on labor force participation."
MarketWatch reported on Nov. 13 that Americans were also racking up “record” credit card debt, hitting a whopping $1.08 trillion in the third quarter. In addition, the rate of new credit card delinquencies “rose to 2% in the third quarter, up from 1.7% in the first and second quarters of 2023. That’s the highest rate since at least 2015.”
But wait, there’s more!
Home affordability has also worsened, with the average income needed for a typical homebuyer skyrocketing to $107,000 (six figures) on average from $88,000 last year, a chilling 22 percent jump that marked the “highest annual increase on record” and put home ownership out of the reach of many Americans, according to CNN. The Post even conceded the point about horrific home affordability, but buried it in the sixth paragraph. “Financially better off,” eh Washington Post? Newsflash: If Americans are still struggling with high prices, they’re NOT “better off.”
The Post even attempted to once again prop up the Bidenomics boondoggle: “Biden has played a considerable role in improving Americans’ financial situation.” The Post based its absurd notion partially on government funding “infrastructure and green energy projects that have juiced the economy.” [Emphasis added.]
Cue the canned laughter. If by “juiced” The Post means Biden’s policies are squeezing the life out of the economy, then its verbiage makes sense. Prices have spiked over 17 percent since Biden took office. A new Financial Times poll also found that 55 percent of Americans say they’re worse off financially since Biden took office. USA Today even noted on Nov. 3 that “[t]he number of Americans working two or more jobs has reached its highest level since the pandemic’s start,” suggesting “more of us are feeling inflation’s pinch.”
But The Post, drunk on its obsession with Bidenomics, proceeded to browbeat those darn, ungrateful plebeians. “That disconnect between a booming economy and how Americans feel about it appears to be widening at a critical time ahead of next year’s presidential election. It is also shaping up to be a key liability for the White House, even as its policies are bolstering job creation and business investments,” The Post cried.
Conservatives are under attack. Contact The Washington Post at 202-334-6000 and demand it stop gaslighting Americans on their economic struggles.
