Americans Haven’t Suffered Enough By Blaine L. Pardoe for American Thinker
In this post-election haze, many conservatives are understandably confused. If the economy was such a high-priority issue, and the Democrats were mostly responsible for the runaway inflation — why didn’t the Republican’s win more seats? Efforts to lay the blame at the doorstop of Donald Trump is pointless and a wasted exercise. Pointing to abortion as a key issue deflects from the real issue at hand.
The cause of the election loss is relatively simple — Americans have not suffered enough pain with this economy — yet.
Inflation hits everyone — it is an indiscriminate irritant that impacts people regardless of class, race, or any other social divider. It is bad, everyone knows the actual rate of inflation is higher than what the government has reported. Inflation is experienced every day, on every shopping trip. Over a third of the country saw their retirement funds take hits that will require years to recover from as the stock market attempted to react to the inflationary spending out of Washington, D.C.
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The problem is, that while inflation is frustrating, Americans haven’t felt the real pains of a down economy. Inflation is something that people manage. They purchase less, or change what they spend money on. Instead of purchasing an expensive six-pack of craft beer, people will buy a less expensive beer. Rather than buy steak, they will purchase alternatives to ease the pain. The number of nights eating out is reduced or the restaurants that are chosen are less expensive. The bottom line is that no one is starving as a result of the current inflation. Inflation is a force that can be mitigated — it can be coped with.
People still have jobs. There are job openings out there still. Inflation, on its own, doesn’t devastate the job market. That is reserved for the recession that usually shadows an inflationary period. While people are complaining that their income doesn’t go as far as it did a year ago, they are still working, paying their bills, and surviving.
From an election perspective, that meant they could still vote for Democrats, despite their guilt in causing this economic downturn. The electorate could vote on hope that the economy will somehow straighten itself out. They could embrace the illusion that they would get their student loans paid off, that America would go green, and that it might all just work out. For many, the economy just wasn’t bad enough for them to change their voting patterns.
