“I can hear those champagne bottle corks popping in Moscow — like it’s Christmas every fucking day": US Politics, February 2024

Paul Krugman tells @GregTSargent that he gets "a little bit questioned" by Times editors when he writes that the Biden economy is doing well; they want him to give more credence to arguments that it isn't. At a little after the 11-minute mark here: https://t.co/9EUnQVNdLS

— Matthew Gertz (@MattGertz) February 5, 2024

Again, tell me and everyone I know about a good economy that we can’t see or experience. This shit is gaslighting at its finest.

Reagan wasn't entirely wrong: "Recession is when your neighbor loses his job. Depression is when you lose yours."

And in this economy, very few people are losing their jobs. Obviously more in some industries than others, and many people are underemployed, lack benefits, etc. But relatively speaking.

People are funny about what "the economy" means. By any measure I was doing just okay until 2018 when I got hit with a position change and promotion. My income and influence shot up -- not great but better. I could've credited Donald Trump for it. In the last 18 months I've gotten a raise and am in line for another promotion: do I credit Joseph Biden? Many people would! I don't see the connection because I've got a state job and terminally online people like me understand anyway that a president isn't a jobs sorcerer.

I understand that measures like GDP and stock prices are disconnected from how many Americans experience the economy and generally agree that the media focuses on them too much. But the employment rate ostensibly encompasses everyone in the workforce, and it's at its lowest point since 1969. That seems good to me.

That said, I agree with Alfred that people both blame and credit presidents too much for economic conditions, which are often out of their control and subject to trends that began long before they entered the White House.

Keep up the gaslighting, good work

Let’s go to some diners and see what real Americans think about the economy.

you know this stuff is like 95% confirmation bias anyway. when prices go up, if your party is out of power, of course it's the other guys' fault. if they are, then of course they can't really do anything about it. or maybe they could if there was a such thing as BIPARTISANSHIP these days!??

I know people who think the US economy has been utter trash since Covid, and often take to blaming Biden, particularly when it comes to inflation. somehow these people all seem unaware that there are actually countries OUTSIDE of America, the vast majority of which are doing much worse than we are, regardless of what party is in power.

You wanna piss off people? Tell'e that someone else -- another country -- is doing worse. They're like SO WHAT WHAT ABOUT ME

The U.S. economy is, by a variety of standards, "good" relative to other periods in its history. That doesn't mean that it's working for everyone, or that it doesn't have deep structural problems.

You wanna piss off people? Tell'e that someone else -- another country -- is doing worse. They're like SO WHAT WHAT ABOUT ME

Whereas table has the exact opposite perspective — women's rights in the US? Who cares? GAZA

untrue, c'mon

For real. Table can multitask outrage better than anyone else here, and I do mean that as a compliment

White people be like, "But all lives matter!"

flagged unperson for obvious attempt to troll the most easily trolled poster on this message board

genuine question as I don't pay as much attn to the US these days: what has Biden done for women's rights?

I think one way people see "the economy" is whether the state of stable employment opportunities, healthcare, housing, food prices -- the things people actually spend money on, their own personal budget and home economics -- is not especially great. And paradoxically, these things being profitable, not effective, drives a solid economic outcome in the stats

genuine question as I don't pay as much attn to the US these days: what has Biden done for women's rights?

― rob,

Besides wanting a return to the status quo ante re Roe he supports the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would force states to comply with federal guidelines about abortion access.

https://cdn.plannedparenthood.org/uploads/filer_public/60/42/6042b0b9-6c7e-4560-bb75-25de3bb6ec01/2024-biden-3yr-report_2.pdf

https://www.justice.gov/reproductive-rights

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2022/07/08/executive-order-on-protecting-access-to-reproductive-healthcare-services/

unperson, don't put words (or vile ideologies) in my mouth.

genuine question as I don't pay as much attn to the US these days: what has Biden done for women's rights?

― rob,

The reproductive rights stuff is important. So is more mundane stuff like representation and role modeling for women at work.

He has a female vice president (a first for the US).

He also has more female representation in the Cabinet than a any previous US president.

https://www.statista.com/statistics/691173/share-of-women-in-us-cabinet-positions-johnson-to-trump/

Here's why I keep harping on the economic question though:

I have applied to at least one hundred jobs in the past few years. Some exactly at my level, some a bit below, some a bit above, some within my field, some in adjacent fields, some in totally different fields. I stopped applying to full-time academic jobs for which I am totally qualified because apparently, institutions don't want to hire white guys unless they write mediocre bullshit confessional poetry that appeals to the bourgeoisie's desire to comprehend/control working class narratives. I also don't have a PhD.

I've had exactly one offer, and it was so bad— 60 hour weeks including mandatory weekends— that I turned it down because I'm not ready to ruin my fucking life just so some biotech company can have AMA-style pamphlets to hand out to shareholders. Medical editing freelance work dried up significantly, and I stopped getting calls around August of 2022.

In its stead, I've been adjuncting and conducting my own extrainstitutional workshops, hustling on writing reviews and articles for publications, etc. This doesn't pay much— less that 35k/year. I bartend in the summers to fill the gaps. Last summer, money got so tight that I seriously contemplated throwing myself off a bridge, because it would be easier and less stressful than worrying about money the way I do.

My partner is a non-traditional student about to finish his BA in Data Analytics and Healthcare Administration. Without the BA, he's not really getting many callbacks, and has to rely on the back-breaking and uneven work of being an EMT.

We'll be fine in the long run, but the past few years have been nothing but economic struggle. There are plenty of people like me— overeducated and willing to work— who are stuck in pools of contingent labor with no hope of advancement, being paid peanuts.

A few months ago, I met a guy who works at the main library here in Philly. I told him I had been thinking about getting an MLS, and he said that I should, because he would hire me in a second— full-time stable job with city benefits and a pension sounds about right. We traded some emails about it, too. So, I'm starting library school (again) this summer.

But not everyone has these options.

I also want to note that I'm a white guy married to a non-white guy, so that the idea that I'm "unaware" or "don't care" that Trump will be worse than Biden is absolute bullshit. I know he will be worse, if elected, and I do care that he will be worse. But I will not vote for the guy who has rubber-stamped what is ongoing in Gaza and the West Bank, for reasons I have stated many times on this board. (Remember, unperson, there are women in Gaza, too, and their lives matter as much as lives in the US). As felicity very smartly pointed out a few months back, this is a deontological ethical point of view, and has as much validity and reasoning behind it as more utilitarian views.

booming post. it’s extremely persuasive and very moving. thx table.

doesn’t change my opinion on voting and how to apply it, but i def hear you.

Same. Thanks for posting.

fantastic post, table. The metrics on which the economic success of western countries are measured on are pure bullshit and meaningless to most people at the coalface.

Good luck, table. There are also sometimes jobs at the Upenn library, and the non-professional staff is unionized.

somehow these people all seem unaware that there are actually countries OUTSIDE of America, the vast majority of which are doing much worse than we are, regardless of what party is in power.

You wanna piss off people? Tell'e that someone else -- another country -- is doing worse. They're like SO WHAT WHAT ABOUT ME

“Sure, rent for a one bedroom apartment is 45% of your income but have you seen Spain?!”

great post table, I see a lot of parallels between your story and stories I hear from friends

The metrics on which the economic success of western countries are measured on are pure bullshit and meaningless to most people at the coalface.

The current legal structure that sustains property rights of the owning class imposes huge physical and emotional costs on the non-owning class everywhere. Property rights are arguably the leading cause of death worldwide. We all know this.

And in this economy, very few people are losing their jobs.

i know everyone likes to mock tech companies here, but they don't only employee highly compensated rich tech bros. they employee lots of people doing a huge variety of jobs, and they are laying thousands of people off every month.

Tech companies have been doing tons of layoffs, academic and media careers have been hit very hard. Those are areas that are massively overrepresented on ILX, while a lot of the good news around jobs and wages is coming from other parts of the economy, especially more blue collar jobs.

anecdotally I am probably an exception in the solar industry, but I am definitely better off than I was four years ago

I don't think that's true. In the most recent jobs report, retail hours were down (so retail workers are getting 3/4 of a schedule instead of laid off), growth was in 'professional services,' government employees, healthcare and then down the list manufacturing.

xp that was

has any thread mentioned that article on Topeka, Kansas trying to encourage people to move there followed by a glut of annoying right-wing outlets trying to pretend they were encouraging illegal immigration?

At least here in Oakland, if feels like restaurants are shuttering left and right.. not sure if that's true everywhere else

A long but fascinating essay on the (demographic) state of Florida.

That was something else. YIKES.

Florida looks nothing like America and has nothing to offer America, as a state, except vacations, understaffed nursing homes, and a model of what not to be. We are full of people who have already lived their lives and don’t care about yours.

At least here in Oakland, if feels like restaurants are shuttering left and right

this is largely because people are not going out to eat at the levels they used to, for a whole variety of reasons, but there is no doubt that fear of getting your car windows smashed is part of it. the other part is that eating out has gotten really expensive for a whole variety of reasons, and people's pay hasn't necessarily risen along with the costs. We have a cafe in Berkeley that closed recently (though it's reopening on weekends only) and while I miss it, eating breakfast there for three topped $120 most of the time. The owner blames 'gentrification' but I'm like... gentrifiers are the only people who can afford to eat at your place!

That’s a huge breakfast bill for three

My wife and I don't go out to eat because she's immunocompromised, but we get takeout from local restaurants — there's an OK pizza place, several Mexican places, a couple of good burger/diner spots, and a cool Asian fusion food truck — several times a week and it usually runs us $35-50 for two people. That's not terrible from our perspective, but for the people I hear having nervous conversations in the grocery store it may be a little high.

But on the other hand, the bars and the liquor store and the small casinos around here all seem to be doing fine, as do the various dispensaries. So people find the money for what they're willing to spend money on, in other words.

people find the money for what they're willing to spend money on, in other words

Whatever ameliorates the constant pain of living life like this, in other words.

The increased cost of fast food has created a flipped situation too, I can either get a shitty Wendy's combo for $12 or a bowl at the Korean fast casual place with pork belly, rice, edamame, vegetables and glass noodles for a dollar less.

Whatever ameliorates the constant pain of living life like this, in other words.

― badpee pooper (Eric H.),

But otherwise you're doing fine.

I noticed Miami-Dade and Broward weren't mentioned in that Florida article. What I read scans with what I see when I vacation in Southwest Florida or in the rare moments I drive north, but down here? Many young South American children and tech bros.

re: the border bill, the GOP Senate voted for the status quo

I don't really care that much