If anyone still thought that President Joe Biden was fit for his office after watching his CNN interview on Wednesday, he or she is far beyond help.
Throughout the interview (which lasted barely more than 15 minutes), the president was his usual dishonest, forgetful and confused self, unable to provide a straight answer to even the simplest of questions.
But there was one question from the interviewer, Erin Burnett, that seemed to truly anger Biden.
She began saying, “So, when you talk about the economy, of course, it is by far the most important issue for voters. It is also true right now, Mr. President, that voters by a wide margin trust [presumptive GOP nominee Donald] Trump more on the economy. They say that in polls, and part of the reason for that may be the numbers.”
Wonder who was responsible for that?
Burnett then recounted the grim figures.
“The cost of buying a home in the United States is double what it was when you look at your monthly cost from before the pandemic,” she said. “Real income when you account for inflation is actually down since you took office. Economic growth last week — far short of expectations. Consumer confidence, maybe no surprise, is near a two-year low.”
Though Burnett didn’t give any hard numbers, she was absolutely spot on regarding the state of the economy and the nation’s attitude toward that abysmal state.
As Realtor.com noted in August, the prices even for starter homes have increased by a whopping 271 percent in some parts of the country since 2019, making it incredibly difficult to purchase a home at all.
Should Joe Biden lose his job this November?
Likewise, overall consumer confidence, according to University of Michigan data cited by Trading Economics, has plummeted from 79.4 percent in March to 77.2 percent in April, with many Americans saying they feel uncertain about their economic future.
And, according to Federal Reserve Economic Data, the real median household income for the average American has gone down by about $4,000, dropping from $78,250 in 2019 to $74,580 in 2022.
With that in mind, then, Burnett asked Biden, “With less than six months to go to Election Day, are you worried that you’re running out of time to turn that around?”
For a second, after being hit with these hard facts, the president could respond with nothing but a blank stare.
But then, Biden pulled out an egregious lie from his back pocket, telling Burnett that “We’ve already turned it around,” sounding insulted she even asked the question.
“Look at the Michigan survey,” he said. “Sixty-five percent of the American people think they’re in good shape economically. They think the nation is not in good shape, but they’re personally in good shape.
“The polling data has been wrong along. How many of you guys do a poll, CNN, how many folks do you have to call to get one response?”
Funny how polling data is only wrong when it doesn’t give you the answers you want.
Now, yes, many individual Americans have been able to weather the storm of inflation decently well, maintaining a standard of living comparable to what they had before the pandemic.
But many others have been forced to take on second or even third jobs to make ends meet, move far out into rural areas for the mere chance to afford a home, and change their shopping habits entirely just to stay within their monthly food budget.
It hasn’t just been anecdotal evidence but measurable, quantifiable data that have shown life has gotten much harder for the average American.
And what was the one, most significant change from pre- to post-pandemic times?
The election of one Joseph Biden.
Granted, the beginning of the pandemic was a bad time for the job market, and printing money for the stimulus checks was not the best choice of action to preserve the economy.
However, government spending increased astronomically under Biden, which in turn sent inflation soaring into the stratosphere.
Of course, then, people prefer Trump over Biden when it comes to the economy.
Therefore, the American people have a clear choice come November.
Will they vote for the befuddled octogenarian who has seemed completely indifferent to the economic plight of the average American, or the former president with a track record of significantly improving the economy?
Let’s hope that whoever they choose, people at least consider this choice very carefully.
