NEWS AND OPINION:
Say farewell to “Bidenomics.” The much-used term is losing its cachet, some say.
“After President Biden embraced the term ‘Bidenomics,’ he and his White House staff couldn’t get enough of it. But either Biden’s forgotten all about it, or the administration realized that it was doing no good to brag about something the public didn’t believe. Either way, the term is vanishing from use,” notes an editorial from Issues & Insights, an independent news site.
“It was in a speech in Chicago on June 28, 2023, that Biden decided to bear-hug the term,” the editorial said.
“I didn’t come up with the name. I really didn’t. I didn’t realize the economists in the Wall Street Journal did. But I’m happy to call it ‘Bidenomics.’ And guess what? Bidenomics is working,” Mr. Biden said at the time.
“Biden thought he was catching a wave. The economy seemed to be turning a corner, the rate of inflation was decelerating, job growth was strong. Surely the public would come to realize that the worst was behind,” the Issues & Insights editorial notes.
“Embracing the term would make it easy, the thinking probably was, to claim credit for any good news. And, boy, did Biden try to tie ‘Bidenomics’ to whatever good news he could find. At least initially. The problem was that the more Biden tried to tell the public how he’d rescued the economy, the less the public believed it. Biden’s approval rating continued to slide. His grades on his handling of the economy did likewise,” the editorial said.
In an analysis of the president’s speeches in the last eight months, Issues & Insights found that in July Mr. Biden or statements from the White House used the term 59 times in public outreaches. By February, there were only 10 mentions of the term.
“Bidenomics – by which we mean massive, deficit-financed inflation-fueling spending, an avalanche of costly new rules and regulations, a huge “clean energy” push, higher taxes, open borders, no new free trade agreements — has failed the country. The White House, and possibly Biden himself (but you never know about that) is apparently coming to realize that “Bidenomics” as a political slogan has failed,” the editorial concluded.
101 ways
A round of applause for Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., who served as Maryland’s 60th governor from 2002-2006, and was the first Republican elected to the office in 36 years. He has written a new book with a telling title: “101 Ways America Went from Sweet Land of Liberty to Weak, Woke, and Wobbly: A Reference Guide to the Biden Years.”
It could prove helpful in these complicated times.
“This handy reference guide to the most important presidential election in our lifetime takes the reader from the most notorious to the most sublime Biden administration-era failures. Written in an easy-to-read, easy-to-understand style, this book will make you a more dangerous (more informed) voter,” advises advance editorial notes from publisher Post Hill Press.
“Along the way, you will be armed with background information and facts to utilize against those family members, coworkers, and neighbors — or even total strangers — who seek to debate you about the last four years and the all-important election of 2024. This is an especially important time for college students exposed to woke indoctrination on campus but determined to fight back,” the publisher said.
“From a porous southern border and repeated blunders in the Middle East to attempted censorship of opposing opinion and a weaponized executive branch, this book will give you all the incriminating evidence you need to engage and defeat the remaining defenders of the Biden administration.
The book — Mr. Ehrlich’s sixth — was published Feb. 20. Find details at Govbobehrlich.com
For the lexicon
“Iron Lady Weekend.”
This three-word phrase comes to us from Republican presidential hopeful Nikki Haley’s campaign. It arrived at the Beltway by email on Monday, outlining the candidate’s upcoming itinerary this week, plus her endorsements, appearances and press coverage from the past four days.
“Nikki Haley’s Iron Lady weekend. In the immortal words of Margaret Thatcher, ‘if you want something said, ask a man. If you want something done, ask a woman.’ Nikki Haley got a lot done this weekend,” the statement declared.
“As voters head to the polls on Super Tuesday, Haley continues to run full steam ahead, working diligently to earn every last vote. Her message of a return to normalcy, fiscal discipline, and peace through strength continues to resonate with people across the country,” the campaign said.
And from the historic side of things, the campaign’s aforementioned “Iron Lady” is a very specific reference to Margaret Thatcher, former prime minister of the United Kingdom. Here’s what the Encyclopedia Britannica has to say about the origins of the nickname:
“In keeping with her strong anticommunism — a 1976 speech condemning communism earned her the nickname ‘Iron Lady’ in the Soviet press,” the encyclopedia noted.
Poll du jour
51% of U.S. voters say they are “almost certain” to vote in the presidential election: 56% of Republicans, 50% of independents and 54% of Democrats agree.
32% say they are “very likely” to vote in the election; 34% of Republicans, 29% of independents and 33% of Democrats agree.
7% say they are “somewhat likely” to vote in the election; 5% of Republicans, 9% of independents and 8% of Democrats agree.
5% say they are “not at all likely” to vote in the election; 3% of Republicans, 6% of independents and 2% of Democrats agree.
3% say they are “not very likely” to vote in the election; 0% of Republicans, 6% of independents and 1% of Democrats agree.
2% don’t know or refused to answer; 1% of Republicans, 1% of independents and 1% of Democrats agree.
Source: A New York Times/Siena College poll of 980 registered U.S. voters conducted Feb. 25 to 28.
Follow Jennifer Harper on Twitter @HarperBulletin, on FaceBook at @HarperUniverse.