Murray on Prez Politics: ‘We’re Just in a Different World’
Unemployment in the United States is less than 4 percent, which is about as low as it realistically can be.
That means, logically, that job growth has been strong. So strong, in fact, that the nation has gained back – and added – all the jobs lost during the pandemic.
How much direct control presidents have over this sort of stuff is debatable, but through the years there has been a constant: Presidents benefit when there is low unemployment.
But not anymore.
A recent Monmouth University poll rated Joe Biden on five measures, one of which was his performance on “jobs.”
The results were not favorable. The poll found that 53 percent of respondents disapproved of Biden’s performance on jobs; 42 percent approved.
What gives?
Patrick Murray, the director of the Monmouth poll, said simply:
“We’re just in a different world.”
What he means is that in the political universe of Donald Trump, what was conventional and the norm pre-Trump is no longer the case.
The former president, Murray said, has turned things upside down.
It may be hard to put your finger on what precisely that means, but here’s my take.
In the pre-Trump world, we had hard “facts” and statistics that just about everyone respected. No longer.
Recall that Trump’s spokesman at the time claimed that the new president’s inauguration crowd was massive. Photographs said otherwise. What followed was Kellyanne Conway’s infamous comment about “alternative facts.”
And away we went.
Trump has been “brilliant” in convincing his followers that the only news that’s true is the news that comes from his lips. At a Trump rally I attended a few years ago in Bedminster, a man actually said he would only believe Trump lost the election if he said he did. There you have it.
So, it’s a good bet that Trump supporters polled are not going to believe the unemployment figures and will respond accordingly. That, naturally, impacts the poll. This is also true with other issues and other facts.
The Monmouth poll also surveyed views on infrastructure. Now, the Biden Administration proposed – and got approved – a $1 billion-plus bill to fix the nation’s roads, bridges and to also do such things as expand internet access and remove lead from the water supply. Many Republicans voted for this bill as well.
Yet, a majority, 52 percent, disapproved of Biden’s performance on infrastructure.
The president also got a 54 percent disapproval rate on climate change, despite passage of legislation in the summer of 2022 that appropriated about $370 billion to clean energy initiatives. Nothing like that has ever happened before.
Looking at polls, of course, is far from a mere academic exercise.
Barring a change in plans, Biden will run for re-election next year amid these – and other – depressing poll numbers.
This is not an easy problem for Team Biden to negotiate.
As Murray says in the poll summary:
“The Biden administration keeps touting their infrastructure investments and a host of positive economic indicators. Those data points may be factual, but most Americans are still smarting from higher prices caused by post-pandemic inflation. This seems to be what’s driving public opinion. There is political danger in pushing a message that basically tells people their take on their own situation is wrong.”
Yes, it is problematic for politicians to tell people their perceptions are wrong, But what if they are wrong?
America’s economy is very strong and much of the reason is because of policies and actions taken by the Biden Administration. Yet, that success isn’t reflected in the President’s approval ratings. When this question is put to pundits and think tank denizens they spout thousands of words of analysis, but miss entirely the real reason.
Nowhere in this storm of gibberish do any of these people point out the negative effect on Biden’s approval rating caused by the 24 hour a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year hate media. There are millions of people who listen to Fox- or Fox-like stations and never hear that the unemployment rate is the lowest in 60 years. This misdirection is amplified by millions of social media posts put on line by the dung beetles of society.
“Biden Crime family” is a common theme; or simply “failed presidency” or “is a wannabe dictator,” or “promotes grooming and pedophilia” or “deep in the grip” of a faltering old age. Credible evidence is never presented except for the fact that President Biden is 80 years old.
Not only is the right-wing media on constant attack, but the more responsible outlets pick up and cover the charges brought by crazed, mendacious and malicious members of the Republican party in Congress.
Figures like Jim Jordan and Marjorie Taylor Green make ridiculous charges which are carried by legitimate news outlets, adding to the din of negativity about the President. Not too long ago these two cretins would have never been elected to anything. They are kin to the soap-box shouters at 42nd and 8th in Midtown Manhattan during the 50’s and 60’s who were mostly ignored by passers-by.
Hate media has become omnipresent. It’s a lot more than just Fox with its unceasing shrill lies. There are thousands of hate-filled websites, hundreds of radio and tv stations and dozens of well-funded political action committees spewing vile nonsense about the president and yet when asked to comment about Biden’s “low approval ratings” pundits, even those on National Public Radio talk about “the American people not feeling the positive effects of Biden’s policies and actions.” A large segment of America is not feeling the positive effects of a very strong economy because what they listen to and view tells them things are bad.
We are being inundated by a tidal wave of bovine defecation both intentional and derivative and it appears that it will only get worse.
Patrick Murry, could you be anymore divisive? Showing a picture of Trump in his 40tys and a current picture of President Biden?
BTW, the people who most say their lives have not improved all live in RED states, ask them why they keep voting for Republicans.
The less than 4% unemployment figure is a lie. Time and again, economists have shown it’s the same number of people from before COVID-19 coming back into the workforce after COVID-19. It’s not new jobs. In fact, if you take the U-6 unemployment numbers (rate measures the percentage of the total unemployed in the U.S. labor force that are unemployed, plus those who are underemployed, marginally attached to the workforce, and have given up looking for work) from the U.S. Dept. of Labor, the actual unemployment rate is 7%-7.2%. The unemployment rate is not the lowest in 60 years. In fact, it’s been quite high for a while, and it doesn’t seem to be stopping going up.
As for the $1 Billion (?) (or, is it $1 Trillion) for infrastructure repair, none of that money has gone anywhere but into Democrat politicians, or their friends’, pockets. The infrastructure bill was pass over 2 years ago, and nothing is being done. Same as in New Jersey with the $2 Billion gasoline tax to fix the roads and bridges. Since Gov. Christie signed this bill over 7 years ago, the gasoline tax money has disappeared and no roads or bridges are being fixed. Once again, it’s the Democrats (Communists) in charge of the money. They are experts on making it disappear with no accountability.
“In the pre-Trump world, we had hard “facts” and statistics that just about everyone respected”
You are onto something here, but Trump had far less to do with it than the Democrats want him too. The real facts are that the Democratic Party leadership has become entirely made up of elites. Elites that are more interested in pushing their narrative than the truth. The border is the best example. There are a lot of illegal migrants coming across the border, but Biden makes no effort to discuss it, acknowledge it, or mention it. Democrats need to understand people can see what is happening in the news, so pretending the problem doesn’t exist is not viable, but we still are. So it’s not just one side ignoring facts. The Democrats lack of any plan on illegal immigration other than amnesty is horrifying to the entire working class that competes with illegal immigrants for jobs.
The Democratic Party does not just represent wealthy ivy league graduates, though you wouldn’t know that with their priorities. They never mention making life better for middle & working class Americans, only LGBTQ and illegal migrants. Biden’s policies are not working because all he did was make federal contractors, and unions richer because none of that money will trickle down to the working and middle class private workers. Until Democrats have candidates that represent Americans and not just the wealthy and over educated, they will continue to loose support.