“It’s the economy, stupid” — those famous words uttered by James Carville in 1992 were power then and just as powerful now and Democrats should take heed as it relates to November’s elections.
It’s hard to believe those words, which have been repeated literally thousands of times, were spoken thirty years ago by a Democrat operative who summarized the 1992 presidential race in one sentence.
The other slogan that James Carville used during the 1992 presidential race, which is less talked about, but, just as important today is: “Change vs. more of the same.” (RELATED: CARTER And HOELSCHER: Ronald Reagan Asked America One Question And It Led To A Landslide Victory. Will History Repeat Itself?)
As voters head to the polls in just under three weeks they must ask themselves another famous question, with a slight caveat…Possibly the most famous phrase ever spoken during a presidential debate: “Are you better today than you were (two) four years ago?”
When Ronald Reagan asked President Carter that question in 1980, the response was clear – NO!
Fast forward to 2022. Ask yourself the same questions Reagan asked but shorten the time frame to two years. Are you better off today than you were two years ago? Let’s take a look.
By every conceivable metric things are more expensive, from fuel to utility bills to groceries. The average American family is struggling to fuel their vehicles and feed their families.
Inflation grew for the second straight month in September with prices rising faster than expected. Consumer price index data showed inflation rose 0.4% in September and 8.2% over the past year. That’s never good for a party that controls the White House, U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.
And, while it’s true fuel prices have fallen from historic highs of over $5 per gallon, AAA says the average gas price today is $3.87, up about 20 cents from last month.
And, groceries prices are continuing to climb. A pound of ground beef costs 25% more today than when Joe Biden took office, and a dozen eggs costs a whopping 113% more.
We are all feeling the squeeze when we go shopping or try and fill our vehicle — and an angry voter is a passionate voter. Often people go to the polls because they want a change.
Status quo very rarely is a successful message to run on for elected officials.
What’s more, recent survey data showed that Republicans hold a 49-45 lead over Democrats in the generic ballot with just weeks to go. Only a month ago, the same survey found the Democrats had a one point lead in the generic — indicating a swing of six points in favor of the GOP.
Historical precedent is also against Joe Biden and the Democrat party. The party of the incumbent president has only gained seats in congress in a mid-term election twice in the past three quarters of a century. And, never with an economy in free fall, where experts believe we are headed towards a certain recession.
To circle back to where we started, the Democrats want to talk about the Roe vs Wade decision and about former President Donald Trump but, it’s “the economy stupid.” And, because people vote with their wallets, the Democrats are going to get crushed this November.
Voters will ask themselves in the sanctity of the ballot box, do we want “change vs more of the same.”
Change is in the air, the polling data tells us that, our 401K’s tell us that and our fuel, utility and grocery bills tell us that.
I believe, Republicans will take back the House of Representatives, win 2-3 governorships currently held by Democrats and gain seats in the Senate.
Then the real battle will begin, and Joe Biden and the progressive left isn’t prepared for what’s to come in a Republican controlled Congress.
Corey Lewandowski is a former Trump 2016 campaign manager and 2020 senior adviser.
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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