Everybody “knows” two things about the economy: it’s (at least somewhat) important politically and it’s getting better. Take the first as a given, but the second needs greater exploration. … We think about solving economic problems primarily in terms of jobs. If people are economically ill at ease, Democrats search […] Read more »
The huge Democratic bet on ‘bricks and butter’
The spending proposals that Senate Democrats plan to begin advancing this week amount to a massive gamble that the party can simultaneously advance two of its longest-standing economic goals without generating a political backlash or overheating the economy. … In some ways, the Democrats’ bet that they can simultaneously turbocharge […] Read more »
Why the economy could make or break Biden’s presidency
Former President Donald Trump broke the mold when it came to how the economy correlated with election outcomes. More people approved than disapproved of his economic performance, yet his party lost the House in 2018 and the Senate and presidency in 2020. Now with President Joe Biden in the White […] Read more »
Biden nets positive marks for handling pandemic, but vaccine resistance, Delta concern remains
Six months into President Biden’s administration, Americans are less apprehensive about the year than they were at the start of it. They think the battle against the pandemic is going somewhat well, though that’s tempered now by concern about the Delta variant. Most say their finances are okay, and most […] Read more »
Inflation Concerns Temper U.S. Investor Optimism
U.S. investors’ outlook for the investing climate improved slightly in the second quarter, with the Gallup Investor Optimism Index rising from +26 in February to +39 in June. This was driven largely by investors feeling more optimistic about economic growth, employment and their household income. The index would have rebounded […] Read more »
Stop the Presses: It Turns Out People Prefer a Job to a Tax Hike
It may not exactly be breaking news, but it turns out that people would rather have a job than a tax hike. In fact, it turns out, people would rather have a job than voting for tax hikes on other people. It also turns out that even limousine liberals — […] Read more »