For all the people who usually clutch their pearls about Democratic messaging - share this on your social media platforms, as this is the messaging you were looking for.
Good post! Would love to read a follow up about combatting what Noah Smith is called the “vibecession” where so many Americans think we’re in a recession despite all the facts you point out.
I have not read nor heard of Noah Smith, but as I read Dan's post, particularly the consumer confidence part, I wondered how much economic pessimism is because media keeps telling people things are crappy. Thanks for your comment.
What motivates mainstream media to obscure the positive results of Biden’s leadership? Is it only negativity creates clicks? Is it that the GOP has been for sale for so many years that now it’s just the rich protecting their own pockets. I bet there is a lot of nuance as well but the result is America is ill informed and feeling sorry for themselves. Thank you for making the good news simple, visual, clear
Plus so much of it is owned by far right players who do NOT want us to know things. Almost every local newspaper has been bought out and gutted in this country.
This is why I'm so grateful for Crooked Media, the podcast world and Substack. All of these were not in place in 2016. And there's also City Cast. https://citycast.fm
The right track/wrong track polling question seems hard to interpret: my “wrong track” answer might mean I am bummed by the last year of SCOTUS decisions with no end in sight, or the segment of society that Trump awakened who resents civility and social norms. I could also be very approving of Biden, his work on the economy and his general steadiness.
Another person could say wrong track because the insurrection failed and his thirst for Fascism still waits for Trump’s re-election.
How in the world do people interpret such a blunt instrument?
All this messaging is true and good -- and doesn't speak effectively to what I think drives the perception that the Biden economy is bad: real wages aren't growing enough to keep up with/make up for even falling inflation. So most everyone can get a job, but having a job doesn't put you further ahead of the living standard you remember from pre-pandemic. It's a very tough challenge for Dems -- the economy is "bad" unless you feel like you have MORE. Our chances depend on mixing assertion of the very real accomplishments of the Biden economy with the threat of the Republicans doing even more things we hate, like banning abortion, being cruel to trans kids, and encouraging gun fetishism. Unless economic policy can enable people to FEEL we have more, we're treading water and future promises are hard to believe.
1. Part of the issue is perception - even if your own situation is fine (or even better than in 2020), if press coverage and overall discussion is negative, then people perceive a negative economy. See, e.g., this CNN article ("Americans are more positive about their own finances than they are about the economic situation nationally" - https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/04/politics/cnn-poll-economy-biden-approval/index.html).
3. His accomplishments show that we as voters have agency. We can and should elect leaders at every level that will build on these policies to further strengthen the American economy from the bottom up and middle out.
Really like this -- especially point 3. Hard to convince people with remote stats, but with a lot of potential voters, point 3 is aspirational; ultimately the belief that, through political action, they can do something to better themselves and us all, is what we are selling. Biden is convincing on this, among those who can hear him at all.
What pains me… is that this collection of data, obviously touting very real accomplishments, should be exceeding the reach that the comments sections of message box has.
Will I share, of course I will. Will it matter… to me, most certainly. Will it move the needle, absolutely not.
While the media is obsessed with age-related matters, Hunter’s tax obligations, an almost-coup across the world and a Kennedy (in name only ) making waves - the fact that a congressionally hamstrung President, that lacks enthusiasm from his own party has been a legislative “dynamo” with fierce winds in his face - goes largely uncovered… is the f^%#ing disease, not a symptom.
The courts, the lobbying complex, the media… all vying to get their chuck of dark money sloshing around - that is what the election cycle is about.
The funny thing about conspiracies… is that they largely fail because they are predicated on requirements that humans in aggregate struggle with - discretion and competency (hand in glove, not one or the other).
The deep irony of course… is the most massive conspiracy being perpetuated to great effect, the erosion of democracy, is one we are participating against ourselves.
Out in the open.
Ughhhhhhh
/disillusionment rant
Good stuff, I will spread it as far and wide as possible.
This is just what I was going to ask about. There were so many articles about corporations pushing the limits on what they could charge consumers, under the guise of “pandemic pressures”, and then discovering that people would pay! So the prices went up and haven’t gone down and record profits were recorded! It infuriates me that this is not called out as the reason for increased prices.
Dan, The package of messaging products is totally perfect! I have shared them many times already today. Your good sense of what a post should accomplish is evident (at least it aligns with mine). I will look forward to more of this in the future.
Absolutely correct. Not to mention Joe Biden is the most economically progressive president in many decades. It's not so much Republicans I'm worried about, we've got to sell this idea to our own party!
Dan or Message Boxers, am I interpreting the first graphic correctly that grocery inflation is now lower than it was when Biden took office? After a little more coffee I might try to gin up a Bidenomics vs MAGAnomics post for my (very limited) networks and that would be a good contrast point, but I don't want to spread misinterpretation if I've got that wrong. Thanks in advance.
It is hard to interpret because so many components are included they are hard to separate. You can see, for example, that egg prices are way down, but meat prices occupy a higher point in the range as compared to Jan 21. That mix might make consumers doubt the data as not “feeling” true.
Another confusing point is the title of the graph. It shows monthly data from Jan 2021 onwards to the present, but the title says 3 month annualized, which is a method you would usually use when forecasting. So I would go to the source and look for a graph that doesn’t try to pack so much data into one view and gives a simpler comparison.
So are y’all going to replace Biden with Gavin before or after Glenn kirschner and Ryan Goodman’s lunatic predictions of trump going to jail before election are proven wrong lmfaooo also I’m so excited to see your posts when Trump or DeSantis is elected. The Holiday season of 2024 is going to be depressing for you Dan!!
For all the people who usually clutch their pearls about Democratic messaging - share this on your social media platforms, as this is the messaging you were looking for.
Good post! Would love to read a follow up about combatting what Noah Smith is called the “vibecession” where so many Americans think we’re in a recession despite all the facts you point out.
I have not read nor heard of Noah Smith, but as I read Dan's post, particularly the consumer confidence part, I wondered how much economic pessimism is because media keeps telling people things are crappy. Thanks for your comment.
What motivates mainstream media to obscure the positive results of Biden’s leadership? Is it only negativity creates clicks? Is it that the GOP has been for sale for so many years that now it’s just the rich protecting their own pockets. I bet there is a lot of nuance as well but the result is America is ill informed and feeling sorry for themselves. Thank you for making the good news simple, visual, clear
MSM is owned by corporations. It’s all about profit.
Plus so much of it is owned by far right players who do NOT want us to know things. Almost every local newspaper has been bought out and gutted in this country.
This is why I'm so grateful for Crooked Media, the podcast world and Substack. All of these were not in place in 2016. And there's also City Cast. https://citycast.fm
What a great message. One we can share.
The right track/wrong track polling question seems hard to interpret: my “wrong track” answer might mean I am bummed by the last year of SCOTUS decisions with no end in sight, or the segment of society that Trump awakened who resents civility and social norms. I could also be very approving of Biden, his work on the economy and his general steadiness.
Another person could say wrong track because the insurrection failed and his thirst for Fascism still waits for Trump’s re-election.
How in the world do people interpret such a blunt instrument?
Those are great graphics - worth sharing!
All this messaging is true and good -- and doesn't speak effectively to what I think drives the perception that the Biden economy is bad: real wages aren't growing enough to keep up with/make up for even falling inflation. So most everyone can get a job, but having a job doesn't put you further ahead of the living standard you remember from pre-pandemic. It's a very tough challenge for Dems -- the economy is "bad" unless you feel like you have MORE. Our chances depend on mixing assertion of the very real accomplishments of the Biden economy with the threat of the Republicans doing even more things we hate, like banning abortion, being cruel to trans kids, and encouraging gun fetishism. Unless economic policy can enable people to FEEL we have more, we're treading water and future promises are hard to believe.
3 responses:
1. Part of the issue is perception - even if your own situation is fine (or even better than in 2020), if press coverage and overall discussion is negative, then people perceive a negative economy. See, e.g., this CNN article ("Americans are more positive about their own finances than they are about the economic situation nationally" - https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/04/politics/cnn-poll-economy-biden-approval/index.html).
2. The trends show that what Biden is doing is working. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1351276/wage-growth-vs-inflation-us/
3. His accomplishments show that we as voters have agency. We can and should elect leaders at every level that will build on these policies to further strengthen the American economy from the bottom up and middle out.
Really like this -- especially point 3. Hard to convince people with remote stats, but with a lot of potential voters, point 3 is aspirational; ultimately the belief that, through political action, they can do something to better themselves and us all, is what we are selling. Biden is convincing on this, among those who can hear him at all.
What pains me… is that this collection of data, obviously touting very real accomplishments, should be exceeding the reach that the comments sections of message box has.
Will I share, of course I will. Will it matter… to me, most certainly. Will it move the needle, absolutely not.
While the media is obsessed with age-related matters, Hunter’s tax obligations, an almost-coup across the world and a Kennedy (in name only ) making waves - the fact that a congressionally hamstrung President, that lacks enthusiasm from his own party has been a legislative “dynamo” with fierce winds in his face - goes largely uncovered… is the f^%#ing disease, not a symptom.
The courts, the lobbying complex, the media… all vying to get their chuck of dark money sloshing around - that is what the election cycle is about.
The funny thing about conspiracies… is that they largely fail because they are predicated on requirements that humans in aggregate struggle with - discretion and competency (hand in glove, not one or the other).
The deep irony of course… is the most massive conspiracy being perpetuated to great effect, the erosion of democracy, is one we are participating against ourselves.
Out in the open.
Ughhhhhhh
/disillusionment rant
Good stuff, I will spread it as far and wide as possible.
Falling fuel prices weren't referenced! Go Joe!
We are in a corporate grab for bigger profits. No one wants to talk about that
This is just what I was going to ask about. There were so many articles about corporations pushing the limits on what they could charge consumers, under the guise of “pandemic pressures”, and then discovering that people would pay! So the prices went up and haven’t gone down and record profits were recorded! It infuriates me that this is not called out as the reason for increased prices.
Dan, The package of messaging products is totally perfect! I have shared them many times already today. Your good sense of what a post should accomplish is evident (at least it aligns with mine). I will look forward to more of this in the future.
Absolutely correct. Not to mention Joe Biden is the most economically progressive president in many decades. It's not so much Republicans I'm worried about, we've got to sell this idea to our own party!
Help please!
Dan or Message Boxers, am I interpreting the first graphic correctly that grocery inflation is now lower than it was when Biden took office? After a little more coffee I might try to gin up a Bidenomics vs MAGAnomics post for my (very limited) networks and that would be a good contrast point, but I don't want to spread misinterpretation if I've got that wrong. Thanks in advance.
It is hard to interpret because so many components are included they are hard to separate. You can see, for example, that egg prices are way down, but meat prices occupy a higher point in the range as compared to Jan 21. That mix might make consumers doubt the data as not “feeling” true.
Another confusing point is the title of the graph. It shows monthly data from Jan 2021 onwards to the present, but the title says 3 month annualized, which is a method you would usually use when forecasting. So I would go to the source and look for a graph that doesn’t try to pack so much data into one view and gives a simpler comparison.
Great!
So are y’all going to replace Biden with Gavin before or after Glenn kirschner and Ryan Goodman’s lunatic predictions of trump going to jail before election are proven wrong lmfaooo also I’m so excited to see your posts when Trump or DeSantis is elected. The Holiday season of 2024 is going to be depressing for you Dan!!