The shutdowns are over . . . but a record portion of Americans say they are worse off now, than when Biden took office

It’s a new record.

How can this be true?

The shut downs were bad.
Businesses were closed.
People were unemployed.

Maybe it’s “the grass is always greener,” you know “the good old days” sort of thing

But ABC and Wapo have been taking this poll for 37 years
and this is the largest number of folks feeling this way ever.

From the article:

Four in 10 Americans say they’ve gotten worse off financially since Joe Biden became president, **the most in ABC News/Washington Post polls dating back 37 years. . . **

The big hit on Biden is the economy: With inflation moderating but still high, 41 percent say they’re not as well off financially as they were when Biden took office, the most in nearly three dozen ABC/Post polls to ask the question since 1986, when Ronald Reagan, who popularized the “better off” phrase, held office. Just 16 percent in this poll, produced for ABC by Langer Research Associates, say they’re better off. . . .

How come ll those other years Americans did not feel “worse off” in the great numbers they do this year?

The most obvious explanation would be that there really are more Americans worse off now.

Hmmm
SMH

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They went to the grocery store.

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LOL
That actually makes sense.

Inflation impacts a lot of people.
The poll did not ask “How much worse-off are you?”

If everybody who lives paycheck-to-paycheck is just a little bit worse off, then the poll would produce a very high number.

We went from stagflation is here, to recession is here, to corporate collapse, to numbers are suspect to well let’s see how the populace feels

Yes the polls are going to continue to suck for Biden. Good.

Corporate media has it in for Biden maybe??

It’s not a mind meld though it may seem that way

The evolution of these threads is fun to watch. Prescience is a gift… or a curse.

Biden’s approval ratings have actually somewhat stabilized and are generally better than last summer.

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Biden’s approval rating stabilize… mucking the stables makes horse approval increase…

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all I can figure is that @zantax is correct.

Inflation affects a lot of people (unemployment only a few)

In before the “my xyz fund is 123 better today than ever” crowd.

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I heard something today, only 37% of democrats want Biden to run 2024.

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Yeah, I don’t know…our business is booming. Not without it’s new challenges, but generally, very positive. But I realize we’re an anomaly.

inflation of course has a lot to do with this.

Meanwhile bidens admin ships billions to ukraine

How about we first start here wirh MAGA, make americas gasoline affordable.

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This is from October…

“ As rising prices continue to outpace wage gains, families are finding less cushion in their monthly budget.

As of September, 63% of Americans were living paycheck to paycheck, according to a recent LendingClub report — near the 64% historic high hit in March. A year ago, the number of adults who felt strained was closer to 57%.

“Consumers are not able to keep up with the pace that inflation is increasing,” said Anuj Nayar, LendingClub’s financial health officer.

“Being employed is no longer enough for the everyday American,” Nayar said. “Wage growth has been inadequate, leaving more consumers than ever with little to nothing left over after managing monthly expenses.” https://www.cnbc.com/2022/10/24/more-americans-live-paycheck-to-paycheck-as-inflation-outpaces-income.html

In short any wage gains Americans are getting are being more than outpaced by continuing inflation.

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Sounds about right.

Depending on when the poll was taken, it would be easy to imagine the perception

  • "I just lost 25% in the market,
  • home values are shrinking
  • and everything costs 7-10% more.

Leaving a lot of people feeling like they just lost a third of their life savings during a single year.
(And the feeling is not completely wrong.)

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The surprising thing is that they aren’t protesting in the streets.

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I know I personally had a good year last year…pretty much all I did was keep up with rising costs.

“ Nearly half of Americans said they have less savings than they did a year ago, according to a recent Quinnipiac University poll.
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As cash savings fell, so did retirement accounts: The number of 401(k) retirement participants taking out loans from their plans increased by 13% in the past 12 months, and hardship withdrawals rose 24%.
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The 401(k) withdrawals occurred at a time investors were already enduring other financial pain.

The U.S. stock market lost a fifth of its value in 2022. Average balances in 401(k)s run by retirement account provider Fidelity Investments totaled $97,200 at the end of the third quarter, down 23% from 12 months earlier.”. https://www.investopedia.com/cash-strapped-americans-increasingly-tap-savings-retirement-accounts-7104868

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It’s as simple as that. It’s like a huge tax levied on Everybody.

Brought on by Biden’s pork laden massive spending bills.

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Well if you save half your money (cause you’re rich)
then inflation only hits the half of your income you spend.

If most of your income goes to fixed payment things like car loans, car insurance, cell phone bills and mortgage payments, then you discretionary spending gets SLAMMED by the food-and-energy inflation so often the authorities don’t even count because “it’s not core inflation.”

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Tracks perfectly with retail price of gas.