Even the Democrats Themselves Aren't Falling For Bidenomics

It would seem that not only is the Biden/Harris administration continuing to pursue this fantasy of glowing economic policy they call Bidenomics, but they are also doubling down on it. They really believe that all of their comparisons to purposely monikered Maganomics is true.

But of course, Americans are not buying it. And the reason is simple. Because Americans both experienced Trump's economy and are now living in Biden's.

Naysayers of Trump can say what they want about Trump as a president in general. Even outwardly they can tell their friends, "Things are much better now economically." But behind the scenes and behind closed doors, as they sift through their utility bills and monitor their stock accounts and see directly the dwindling values of every dollar they earn, penny after penny being siphoned away by the higher cost of everything, the truth simply cannot be denied.

Bidenomics does not work. And it is definitely not working for the hard-working Americans it wants to reach to prove that it does.

The problem is that while you can easily tell a lie, there has to be at least some sense that it can be true in order to sell it. Take fiction. Especially fantasy, horror and science fiction. There is something that a writer must do in order to convince readers, even for just a moment, that ghosts and goblins and dragons do actually exist.

Suspend their disbelief.

When it comes to the economy, one look at one's grocery tab and it's all bets off. Every trip to the gas pump, and it's an instant yanking back to the reality that the dragon is just a thing created out of a wild imagination.

You simply cannot, by any stretch of the imagination try to sell a booming economy when the people living it can't see it or feel it or touch it in some way.

And the democrat party who badly wants to win a reelection knows it's a bad idea, and through backchannels, many prominent democrats are urging the White House to ditch it. Or to at least reframe it. 

"The voters aren't buying it," is what they are essentially saying. And if you (the Biden/Harris administration) keep on trying to sell it, the voters are going to rightly wonder what else you might be lying about. Your entire presidency becomes open to criticism, deeper examination and scrutiny.

Even from your own side. And maybe particularly so.

Because not only do democrats want to win. They want to be right. They want to be able to prove that they have the better ideas and can offer the best alternative in real solutions. Not that it's their favorite thing to do, but dammit they want to be able to say, "See? I told you so."

Bidenomics is falling flat. As a policy, as a plan, as a campaign slogan. It's just bad for everyone and especially bad for the person behind it who can't prove it to be anything more than a simple man dressed in a zippered dragon costume.

And by the way, how do you even reframe it? Why would you even necessarily want to? What? Just to make the lie sound a little better? A little more believable?

Why not just be straight with the American people and admit, "We messed it up," and then tell the American people what you got wrong and how you plan to actually fix it? It's like the border crisis issue that everyone knows is real. You will never gain the trust of the American people by outright lying to them.

Especially considering people are about to be fed up if they aren't already. We had to suffer through the 2-years of shutdowns during the Covid pandemic, having our lives entirely upended and halted, only to come out of it with new problems to face regarding our lives and money. And wait, it's not over. A recession may soon be coming, and that's just going to mean more months and months of economic pain.

Perhaps the Biden/Harris administration simply feel they've got this election in the bag. If it's down to them vs. Trump it's a shoe-in. And Lord knows they've done their very best to try to make Trump out to be the villain of all villains—a villain to make even the worst enemy of Gotham City look like a friendly circus clown with just a little benign nervous tick.

But even with that effort, is the public at large buying into it? Polls indicate maybe not. And just like the earlier example of people outwardly saying the economy is fine, behind closed doors when it comes to Trump, people know deep down they are being played for fools. They know there's a lot more going on behind the scenes that so much energy is being spent on someone they (the democrats) insist is no threat to their power.

In other words, there's no reason to try to get rid of Trump if the left thinks he's such bad news no one could even remotely consider him to be a serious candidate for the other side. Or even independents.

And speaking of polls, that's the other problem of course with Bidenomics. On the very issue Bidenomics is trying to sell is great, all the polls clearly show that the economy is one of Biden's worst performances. No one is buying it. Not even democrats. 

What's worse is that it does just the opposite of what I think the democrats want it to do. That is to put the economy front and center for the American people to think about every time they say it. Because again, it just serves as a constant reminder that the economy is not as good as they say it is, is not recovering at the fast pace they want people to believe, and worse—like with the border crisis—if you don't even know it's a problem how do we ever make it right?

How do we trust you have the goods to make it right?

Will the Biden/Harris administration ditch the slogan? Probably not. And part of the reason for that goes into something a bit deeper than the problems we face with the economy and frankly with every other serious issue facing America today.

Who is actually in charge?

Is it a single person? Is it a collective? Has the bureaucracy finally tendered the reigns of the big white chariot in Washington? One can never know. But the one thing we do know is that whenever we find ourselves in a situation where there are too many chiefs in the room, all goes haywire very quickly, one hand doesn't know what the other hand is doing, too many hands are fighting for the final say, and nothing of value ever gets accomplished. 

And of course, with so many chiefs, not a single one of them thinks there's a problem that needs to be solved. And you can shout the problem as loud as you want, but the chiefs aren't listening. They can't hear you. And the Biden/Harris administration can't hear you. The American people. Even their own party. 

They are simply too busy focusing on winning than anything else. For them, it is all that matters. Meanwhile, as far as Bidenomics goes? Well, you're just going to have to take their word for it.

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"No Crisis on the Border," Says Harris

It could be said, and difficult to deny, that the Biden/Harris administration may not have invented gaslighting, but they sure have at least perfected the art of it. Take any issue you want, be it the economy, how many jobs they've created, working from the middle up, or the border crisis.

It's all a farce. They have accomplished nothing and yet they continue to tout false narrative after false narrative about how well it's all working for the American people.

The silver lining, if there is one, is that it would seem that the majority of the American people simply aren't buying it. Even the media has had to say more than once, "Something isn't right." And no matter how badly they may want to, they can't deny the polls either.

Biden is disliked and his approval ratings are in the tank on almost every issue, and Kamala Harris' polls are so bad even an abacus wouldn't work to try to get the numbers right.

While there are myriad issues plaguing us right now, the border crisis is one that stands out like a sore thumb, inflation notwithstanding, and Kamala Harris, the supposed border czar is fit to stand before the American people and all but outright deny that a crisis on the border even exists.

How many times has she even been to the border, by the way?

In an ironic way, one guesses, who do we really have to thank for at least a heightened awareness of the border issue? Republican governors like Ron DeSantis of Florida and Gregg Abbott of Texas who were left essentially to just "deal with it," until they decided to send the illegal immigrants they were dealt to the places where the liberals live.

From the liberal pulpits they shouted to the high Heavens that illegal immigrants are no more than regular folks just looking for a better shot at life who deserved a chance just as much as anyone, and that we should welcome them with open arms and see them as an opportunity to make America a warm, welcoming better place. To see not their intrusion on our lives, but to see what wonderful things they can offer to society as a whole.

Of course, that liberal tune quickly changed not long after the illegals were sent straight to their doorsteps. The reality suddenly didn't seem to jive with their narrative and not in my backyard stepped up to rear its ugly, glaring head.

Be careful what you wish for, you may just get it. 

The reality is that it's, well...it's a bitch you know. And what some of the border states did was to shine some of that real light on the issue which even democrats themselves can no longer deny. The border is an issue and the situation that we have is clearly a crisis.

Unless you're Kamala Harris.

She recently told Margaret Brennan on CBS' "Face the Nation," citing images of thousands of illegals flooding the border in hot spots like Eagle Pass, Texas, "What it means is that we have to stay focused on a number of issues related to the irregular migration that we're seeking around the world and America is not immune."

By the way, what the hell does that actually even mean?

How are we staying focused on the issue? What means are we using to stop the flood? What policies are we implementing to secure the border? What tools and other resources are we offering to our Border Patrol agents? What resources are we offering or providing to the border states most impacted by the problem? What consequences are we imposing on those who enter our country illegally? What sanctions are we considering against Mexico if they do not work with us to solve the issue?

The fact is that when Joe Biden took his oath of office, he shut down nearly all, if not all, of the tough on immigration policies imposed by former president Donald Trump and essentially opened the floodgates wide, only to turn around and pretend to solve a problem that existed (that did not) before he took office.

And by the way, just for optics sake, why even appoint a supposed czar to oversee something that isn't supposedly a problem? And if the czar herself, directed with the responsibility of addressing the problem doesn't even see a problem, how does that qualify her to be a czar at all?

It is a problem, and everyone seems to know it except for the person who is supposed to be charged with fixing it.

Democrat New York Mayor, Eric Adams, has been highly critical of Harris and her lack of leadership on the issue of the border as tens of thousands of illegals pour into his city. In his eyes, despite any denial, it is indeed a crisis and said publicly, "Never in my life have I had a problem I did not see an ending to. This issue will destroy New York City."

Those are poignant words that should raise eyebrows for anyone. The people of New York City, long considered to be a resilient and strong people, able to deal with anything that comes their way, who have turned around a damaged city more than once in its history, is now reduced to being helpless?

And where is the communication between the Biden/Harris administration with Border Patrol chiefs outright saying they have never seen a worse situation on the border than they are seeing now. In other words, if the men and women on the front lines are saying, "This is bad," or in fact, "this is the worst I have ever seen it," where are the efforts to ramp up the response? If you had a general come to you and say, "We are going to be attacked," you'd probably want to perk your ears up and listen to what the general has to say.

But it's a moot point according to Harris. You have to ask yourself, why would they lie? Not just the Border Patrol agents. But Eric Adams. Why would they lie about an issue that supposedly doesn't exist? What purpose would it serve? 

Maybe it just all comes back to Trump in an odd sort of way. You know, I've said it multiple times, but it bears repeating. I am convinced that in the eyes of the democrats, or at the very least, in the eyes of the Biden/Harris administration, that the destruction of America itself is, to them, simply collateral damage in what the real goal is.

Taking out Trump no matter what it takes and no matter what the cost is. Everything else be damned. The border crisis is part of that. Reversing other highly effective Trump policies is too. 

The bottom line is that we have a serious issue facing us when it comes to the border, and with a clear lack of acknowledgement or leadership on the issue, the reality is that the issue will only worsen. It's like an early missed diagnosis of cancer. Once you finally realize it's a problem, it's too late.

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Just STOP With the Impeachment Talk

Don't get me wrong. I don't like President Joe Biden and think his administration is a complete and total failure seriously harming the lives of Americans and erasing much progress we've made as a country in recent years.

Or even over decades.

That being said, with Speaker McCarthy tossing out that word, "impeachment," it grates on me a bit. Has Biden done anything impeachable? Perhaps the real answer so far is that we simply don't know yet. Are there things that should be seriously looked into regarding Biden, especially his dealings with his son and the many allegations that have surfaced long before he "won" the 2020 election and became president.

Okay, there is also, for me, the lingering question about what really happened with that 2020 election—I am not one to outright say he stole it by the way. I simply think there are too many unanswered questions and it troubles me more Americans aren't at least interested in the possible answers.

That would be an impeachable offense for sure.

Beyond that I think, and this became very apparent with Trump's presidency, that impeachment may be becoming just a political thing more than a tool to potentially remove a really bad guy from office. It's simply losing its strength as something to be taken seriously. And I think impeachment should be an absolute last resort and very serious thing for very serious infractions having been committed by our top elected official.

Nixon, had he been impeached rather than resign, I think would have been warranted.

None of Trump's impeachments were serious, especially considering the allegations were all false, and anyone really paying attention would have immediately known it was all about a democrat party simply not liking who was in the White House and trying to find any way they could to remove him, regardless of whether there was cause or not.

It's not the same thing but it's at least relatable, but the word "racism" has suffered similar softening. It was overused and accusations of racism were assigned to things that had nothing to do with race at all. The word no longer has the stigma it once did. Racism uttered now is more likely to conjure rolled eyes than serious horror.

Is Joe Biden fit to be president? No. Is Joe Biden doing a good job and advancing causes for the American people? No. Is his presidency benefiting the country or Americans? No. But are any of the things he's doing (or not doing) impeachable? No.

He's just a terrible president and that's all. 

I think the best course for the republican party is to simply focus on 2024 and how we convince the American people to make the best choice for America. Which granted will be a tough sell considering Trump is the foreseeable front runner and regardless whether or not I have no problem with him returning to the White House, many Americans are apprehensive—despite my belief that many of those apprehensions are based on lies and innuendo and false pretenses.

In other words, people have formed their opinion of Trump largely on what the media has led them to believe, not necessarily based on what the truth is. Even with all of the supposed charges and indictments against him, it is being used as a "thing to consider." But of course, people paying attention know it's all just politics and based on nothing but that.

I simply think we're too quick lately to throw out impeachment and it is doing more damage to the tool of impeachment than anything. If we reach a point where a real impeachment is absolutely necessary, no one will take it seriously because we've removed seriousness from the option to use it for real reasons.

Drop the impeachment thing, McCarthy and let's just get our attention on the upcoming presidential election and use our time to form strategies to bring our message to the American people why the ONLY choice in 2024 should be the GOP.

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The Gig Economy Has a Downside

The "gig economy," as it has become known as, chock-full of various side hustles like Uber Eats, DoorDash and Uber and Lyft have become quite popular among a great many people. Especially those in the younger generation.

Granted, some who are doing it are doing it just to earn additional income alongside traditional employment. Some are using the opportunity to help them pay down student loan debt or even pay their way through college. Others may be stay at home moms or dads who have some spare time while the kids are at school that they can make some extra money from.

The idea has been around forever and is nothing new. Although many of the ways we can engage in it are newer. But it really took hold during the pandemic when people in certain professions were literally forced out of work and had no other choice but to find alternative ways to earn an income.

But there is a segment of society, again mostly of the younger generation, who simply have the idea that the old way doesn't work, isn't worth the time, and have simply decided they are not going to work for anyone else in a regular 9 to 5 job and have chosen to do gig work exclusively.

It is their primary source of income.

This comes with a downside, though, that few people who encourage this lifestyle talk about, and frankly that many in the gig economy don't consider.

The future.

It brings me back to a discussion I had with my niece who, during high school, worked under the table for a Thai food restaurant. I was actually happy that she did it, don't get me wrong. I started working when I was 14, and too many kids in the younger generations simply don't have any desire to work at all until much later in life.

My younger cousin was like that. He didn't have a job at all until he got out of college.

W-2 wages are an important thing for a variety of reasons. One big reason being the contributions we all make to Social Security, and the longer we work "under the table" for "unreported wages," the smaller our benefits will be when we retire because our benefits are based largely on what we make in our lifetimes and ultimately pay in FICA taxes throughout our work history.

If we're not contributing, there are less benefits afforded to us.

There is also the idea largely fueling a good many people in the gig economy. That is, they simply want to make money. It's not necessarily about having an extra source of income, such as is best suited for this type of work. It is the income. 

In other words, so long as they make enough money in a day to get through their monthly expenses, they are satisfied and don't work more than they have to.

This is a problem.

Because the future will still happen no matter what, and if there are lower Social Security benefits down the line as well as no contributions ever made to a 401k plan or other retirement accounts, the end of the road is going to be quite a bit of a rougher one.

And I don't think many in the gig economy even think about this.

There is also the consideration that health benefits are non-existent in a gig economy as well. And so, if a major medical event happens, not only can the gigger not afford to deal with it, but it is also going to send them miles behind financially potentially.

I don't think there is anything wrong with side hustles or the gig economy itself. But I do think that those who wish to choose this as their primary source of income need to consider the downside and do things to counter them. I think they need to fully understand what the downsides even are so they can better navigate the course and forge ahead into a better, more productive future for themselves.

Unfortunately, the mindset for many people in the gig economy is that they are "in business for themselves," or otherwise self-employed, when the reality is that they are neither of those things. Businesses operate with the future in mind, and they operate wanting to grow and expand and become bigger and more financially stable. They operate with the understanding that tomorrow is even more important than today, and if they want to have a sustainable future, they need to be constantly focused on ensuring that future is cared for.

The gig economy is not only a good thing overall, I think with all the changing environment around regular work, automation and other things, it is even necessary. But it needs to be conducted in similar ways that any business or self-employed person operates to ensure that it works for those who are working within it.

And so that there is less impact on society as a whole somewhere in the distant future when there are generations of former gig workers who enter into retirement ill-prepared to deal with it, and become dependent on the rest of society to hold them up and take care of them.

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