That bigger hit you’re taking at the grocery store, gas station and heating bill this month? It’s not really a big deal, or at least that’s what journalists trying to save President Joe Biden and the Democrats would have you believe.
That’s right. MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle wants you to keep it all in “perspective.” NBC correspondent Tom Costello wants you to quit whining about that heating bill, turn down the thermostat and have you considered “heavier curtains?”
The few times journalists actually admitted rising prices were a bad thing, it wasn’t because they were worried about the average consumer. Oh no! They were worried that it might hurt their Democratic friends in the midterms.
CBS Face the Nation moderator Margaret Brennan nervously pressed Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen: “You have said that inflation is likely to be with us until the second half of next year. Are you confident that prices for the average American will be down by the time we head into next November and Election Day?...Because there could be a political cost to this.”
The following is just a small sampling of journalists spinning the bad inflation numbers for the Biden administration:
Dems Just Need to Do a Better Job of “Telling” Their “Great Economic Story”
“It’s unfortunate, but the Democrats don’t do a great job of telling their economic story. Yes, this inflation number is not a good one. But they’ve got a great economic story to tell….What the Biden administration isn’t doing is selling that, and they can.”
— MSNBC host Stephanie Ruhle on MSNBC’s MTP Daily, November 10.
Time to Put Inflation in “Perspective”
“The dirty little secret here….while nobody likes to pay more, on average we have the money to do so. Household savings hit a record high over the pandemic. We didn’t have anywhere to go out and spend….So, we need to put all of this in perspective.”
— MSNBC host Stephanie Ruhle on NBC’s Sunday Today, November 14.
“The Economy Isn’t Bad,” It’s Just That “Things Cost” More
“Up next, Republicans jump on the inflation buzzword bandwagon, ignoring all the signs of America’s economic comeback. Senator Elizabeth Warren joins me next with the truth about our economy....So, the economy isn’t bad. It’s just that people are mad because everything is late and things cost a little bit more. What do you make of all of this?”
— Host Joy Reid to Senator Elizabeth Warren on MSNBC’s The ReidOut, November 17.
Bringing Back Memories of Carter Malaise: “Turn Down the Thermostat,” Consider “Curtains”
“I was really surprised by the amount of money you can save on your heating bill if you’d simply turn down the thermostat. By about eight hours a day or so, if you turn it down seven to ten degrees, you can save up to 10 percent on your heating bills….You can consider heavier curtains on the windows, right? You keep the heat in if you can.”
— Correspondent Tom Costello on NBC’s Today, November 12.
Please Tell Us Inflation Won’t Be a Problem When It’s Time to Vote
“You have said that inflation is likely to be with us until the second half of next year. Are you confident that prices for the average American will be down by the time we head into next November and Election Day?...Gasoline up 50 percent, eggs 12 percent, milk six percent, coffee six percent….When does it get better? When do those spikes abate?...Because there could be a political cost to this….Are we at a place where we need to increase immigration in order to meet this challenge?”
— Moderator Margaret Brennan to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on CBS’s Face the Nation, November 14.
Eat the Rich
“All the stuff you see about inflation in the news is driven by rich people flipping their shit because their parasitic assets aren’t doing as well as they’d like and they’re scared that unemployment benefits + stimmy checks + 15 minimum wage + labor shortage is why….waaaaah the working class’s income is keeping pace with or outstripping inflation but my capital gains aren’t boo fucking hooooo.”
— From November 17 tweets by New York Times contributor Sarah Jeong.
Bad Things Just Keep Happening to Joe Biden, There’s Nothing He Can Do About It
“I feel as though Joe Biden is getting the blame for things that he really doesn’t have that much control over, he doesn’t control gas prices, correct me if I am wrong, inflation is something that’s happening all over the world, its very much related to pandemic that we’re still in, the supply, what do you call it, the supply chain is held up because of COVID….Yet he seems to be getting all the blame because it’s on his watch.”
— Co-host Joy Behar on ABC’s The View, November 15.
