Democrats are continuing to celebrate the passage of the falsely named “Inflation Reduction Act,” and members of the press have been right there to play their part.
On ABC News, while appearing on George Stephanopoulos’ show, leftwing hack Jonathan Karl tried to make the case that it was a major legislative accomplishment. He proclaimed that Joe Biden is “on a roll” before fretting that the president isn’t getting the credit he supposedly deserves. He also made the case that the jobs numbers are “extraordinary” and that gas prices are dropping.
Chris Christie was also part of the panel and then provided a perfect reality check.
.@jonkarl: “If you look at our new poll, he’s getting credit for almost nothing, he’s on a roll, no question that Joe Biden is on a roll…”@GovChristieThey got Democrats to vote for a Democrat bill. What are we going do? “Drop the confetti from the White House.” pic.twitter.com/mlQ5rmqjFS
— Kevin Tober (@KevinTober94) August 7, 2022
Here’s the full exchange via Newsbusters.
JONATHAN KARL: If you look at our new poll, I mean he’s getting credit for almost nothing, he’s on a roll, I mean there’s no question that Joe Biden is on a roll legislatively, on the national security front, but he’s getting no credit for it. You should also remember that inflation remains a significant factor. Gas prices are falling and have been decreasing for the past two months. It is amazing to see the unemployment rates. The unemployment figures are remarkable, but so is wage growth. It’s just not keeping pace with inflation.
CHRISTIE: It’s an inside Washington role, George. It’s an inside Washington role. They won the Inflation Reduction Act. It is an absurd name as you mentioned in the interview. However, Democrats voted in favor of a Democrat bill. How are we going then to win? You can drop all the confetti in the White House.
This is absurd. It’s an inside Washington role. The people in the rest of the country, are saying wait a second, I’m still paying much more for gas than I should. I’m still paying much more to cool my house. I can’t get groceries on the table and I’m worried about the future.
Christie’s money is irrelevant here. All the pomp and circumstance over the Democrats passing a Democrat bill with Democrat votes belays the fact that Americans simply don’t care about most of what’s in the bill. Climate change consistently ranks as one of the lowest priorities among voters, and certainly, hiring 87,000 IRS agents and raising taxes isn’t any more popular. The only provision in the entire act that might see wide support is the capping of insulin prices, but that’s such a micro-issue that it’ll be out of the country’s collective psyche within days.
The entire reconciliation bill is, as Christie says, an “inside Washington role.” It’s something that makes beltway dwellers squee, but back in the real world, people are still paying $10 for a pack of bacon. They won’t be thrilled to see more taxpayer money go towards green energy subsidies. Further, Karl attempting to brag about gas prices dropping (remember, he’s supposed to be an unbiased journalist) just comes across as out-of-touch. While gas prices may have fallen after surpassing previous records, they still remain at 80 percent of their peak when Biden assumed office. That’s not an accomplishment. It’s simply failing a little less.
This brings me to my larger critique of media stories that Democrats are on a comeback because they passed a partisan bill and Joe Biden survived COVID. Normal Americans are not able to see Washington today and think that it cares about their concerns. Instead, they see self-indulgence and unearned celebration from mediocrities who don’t have to face the challenges of the real world. These climate subsidy programs will be mainly used by the wealthy. With inflation at 9.1 per cent, is that what Democrats consider a win? And even if inflation starts to drop (it has to at some point), it’ll take years before it gets back to a point that isn’t absolutely crushing.
In a few months, people are going to go to the polls, and I can guarantee you that they won’t be basing their vote on the “Inflation Reduction Act.” They will be basing their vote on what their personal situation looks like. Right now the economy is in decline. The only positive thing about it is an increase number of jobs, largely due to people who take on part-time work to reduce inflation. That’s not a winning environment for Democrats, no matter how much they try to will themselves to believe otherwise.
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