The New York Times has an opinion piece this week about the life of a Maine lobsterman. It ends on a downbeat note: The guys on the boats are voting for Trump because the prices of gas and groceries are too high.
It’s always thus. The ills of the economy are blamed on the incumbent, in this case the vice president. Whether that’s fair or not, she and her crew had better listen up and come up with a better response than they’ve had so far.
I was in a Safeway the other day to pick up something for a late lunch. In the deli section, they had those small bags of chips, the ones that contain a single serving. And not anything “artisanal,” just Lays or Doritos to go with your sandwich.
They were demanding $2.69 a bag for those. And no deal for “club” members. A Coke to wash it down with was another two bucks; that was as low as you could get it. And that’s Safeway, not a hipster grocery joint. I passed on the chips.
People think these prices are too much. And it’s going to be as big a factor in the upcoming elections as the culture war stuff or the foreign policy minefields.
For young workers like Mr. Amaro and Mr. Leach and millions of other Americans like them who are busting their humps week in and week out trying to get ahead, the price of gas, groceries and housing is perhaps the most important factor in determining their vote. Not abortion, not Gaza, not the war in Ukraine. As long as the perception that Mr. Trump will do a better job with the economy remains unchallenged, the Democrats will pay a price at the polls, perhaps a dear one.
I hate to hear that, but it’s probably true, isn’t it? So what’s the response going to be from the Donkey Team?