General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsAxelrod: Biden 'pride' may cost him election
The HillBiden has consistently framed struggles with the economy in the past tense, and treated the issue as already won. Most Americans disagree, with polls showing most trusting former President Trump on the economy more.
Axelrod, who was former President Obamas campaign strategist, said its absolutely true that the economy has significantly improved under Biden.
But thats not the way people are experiencing the economy, he said in a CNN appearance. They are experiencing it through the lens of the cost of living. He is a man whos built his career on empathy, why not lead with the empathy?
I think hes making a terrible mistake, he continued. If he doesnt win this race, it may not be Donald Trump that beats him, it may be his own pride.
I tend to agree with Axelrod's assessment of the current condition. You can't tell voters they're wrong in how they feel. You have to first acknowledge voter concerns and THEN discuss everything you've done to address them and THEN talk about what you'll do in addition.
brush
(54,000 posts)Seems he should be criticizing the repug candidate who's on trial for election interference and has three other indictments pending.
Maybe just a little, Axelrod.
brooklynite
(95,149 posts)He's talking to political people about tactics, not ordinary voters.
Demsrule86
(68,929 posts)an important election looming, he would speak ill of our nominee.
Thanks to Google, here are some pages of Axerod's anti-Biden nonsense.
Axelrod: Biden 'pride' may cost him election
The Hill
https://thehill.com homenews campaign 4653464-...
10 hours ago Senior Democratic strategist David Axelrod hit President Biden over his economic messaging Wednesday following a campaign event in Milwaukee ...
Missing: life ?| Show results with: life
Ex-Obama Strategist Names 'Terrible Mistake' That Could ...
HuffPost
https://www.huffpost.com entry david-axelrod-joe-...
16 hours ago "If he doesn't win this race, it may not be Donald Trump that beats him," suggested former Obama adviser David Axelrod.
David Axelrod pummels Biden's defiant stance on ...
Fox News
https://www.foxnews.com media david-axelrod-pu...
12 hours ago Former Obama adviser David Axelrod panned President Biden's dismissal of polls about his handling of the economy during a CNN interview,Axelrod explains why he thinks Biden's pride could lose the election ..
YouTube · CNN
51.2K+ views · 23 hours ago
CNN's David Axelrod, Jeff Zeleny, Scott Jennings and MJ Lee join Erin Burnett to discuss her interview with President Joe Biden where he ...
Missing: doesn't ?life
'Joe Biden Called David Axelrod a 'Prick.' It Won't Shut Him ...
Jan 12, 2024 A Q&A with the former Obama strategist who's not afraid to critique the Biden campaign.
My colleague Jonathan Martin reported in the fall that Biden recently used the P word (prick) to describe Axelrod. Like Murphy, the Republican strategist who co-hosts the Hacks on Tap podcast with Axelrod, recently joked that if Biden were to get close to Axelrod, the president may end up convicted of manslaughter. (Im too quick for him! Axelrod responded.)' Thus the joke pins. My colleague Jonathan Martin reported in the fall that Biden recently used the P word (prick) to describe Axelrod.
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2024/01/12/david-axelrod-obama-biden-2024-00135194
So funny...can we even call Axelrod a Democratic political strategist? How nice that supposed Democratic strategist Axelrod has a podcast with a Republican...Mike Murphy. and goes after the Democratic nominee
brooklynite
(95,149 posts)Which is what political strategists do.
The reality is that Biden isnt clearly winning at this point, and the States he needs to win wont come through solely on appeals to base voters. How do you propose he cover vote margin he needs?
Demsrule86
(68,929 posts)I suppose you think what he does it helpful. I don't.
I_UndergroundPanther
(12,518 posts)But Biden needs to address people where they Are At and respond to what they are feeling. Be it on the economy or the war on Palestine.
He needs a better grip on the pulse of the youth and the lower classes.
I hope he listens to Axlrod on this.Axlrod is a douchenozzle but this time he is right.
Demsrule86
(68,929 posts)election. The economy is good...better than any time in my lifetime. Fuck during Trump's reign of terror, we were basically needing to go to food banks...worse unemployment since the Depression. I don't care about the war in Palestine. don't want to take sides. It is not our war. And I don't want to see anyone attacked that would include American Jews. Biden can only do so much. I will vote for Biden. I think he has been a great president. Trump gets in all Palestinians are cleared out of GAZA by expulsion or death and Trumpers get fancy hotels...so spare me. Trump said to let Israel kill everyone in Palestine you know.
I_UndergroundPanther
(12,518 posts)But my suggestions are not nonsense.
The stock market is an abstract to people with lower incomes like mine. We see the high cost of groceries etc.
https://www.americanprogress.org/article/working-class-families-getting-hit-sides/
You have to meet people where they are and there are many working class and lower class people out there that would vote democrat if they thought it could make their lives better directly.
People still believe the lie that republicans are fiscally responsible
I resent the bullshit you said about my issues I was not talking about my personal issues. I was noticing a similar situation from my own that a lot of people are suffering through despite this wonderful economy .
That incongruence is glaring here.
There are people that need help ,the lower and working class people. The ones that rarely get mentioned in political speeches while everyone focuses on middle class this or that.
In case you havent noticed the middle class is being hollowed out. Biden needs to address this.
The middle class isnt feeling the same pinch as the poor and working poor do and our numbers are growing.
People offering jobs are faking offering jobs I have heard about people applying and applying but just never hired.
https://www.entrepreneur.com/business-news/what-are-ghost-jobs-and-why-are-they-everywhere-now/435666
shrike3
(3,933 posts)Why air this publicly? Why not talk to the campaign. All this does is give the opposition more to work with.
PatSeg
(47,817 posts)I can understand that I suppose, but it would be nice if they kept their mouths shut during an election year. What good does it serve to give Biden unsolicited advice and criticism publicly? Wait until after the election OR put it in your next book.
Demsrule86
(68,929 posts)win. So attacking Biden all the time is foolish. And Axelrod knows better. He never liked Biden and is making money trashing him. There is no excuse for what Axelrod is doing.
PatSeg
(47,817 posts)Biden's presidency has been so successful and that Biden has been able to accomplish some things that Obama didn't even though Obama had bigger majorities in congress in the beginning.
Joe doesn't have an Ivy League education, but he is good with people and knows how to negotiate. His many years in the senate have really paid off.
I really don't understand. What Axelrod is doing is very small and petty, not to mention dangerous for the country. I'm glad I never watch CNN, because I never have to see his face anymore.
Demsrule86
(68,929 posts)would be alive without the ACA. They were both great presidents. Axelrod and that crew as you said looked down on Biden...old style politics is how things get done.
PatSeg
(47,817 posts)though I think Obama could have accomplished even more if he knew how to glad-hand a bit. He was great on the campaign trail. I saw him twice in person and he was incredible. I think that Obama needed to show up more in DC. He had us all in the palm of his hand.
The old style politics that Axelrod and his gang eschewed were once the politics of the Democratic party, the politics of LBJ and FDR, who reached out to the working class.
Demsrule86
(68,929 posts)he is not a Democratic political strategist. One wonders...could he support a different candidate? How nice how he makes the rounds including Fox to trash President Biden who is the only one who can beat Trump. And how exciting for David that he and Republican Mike Murphy have a podcast where they trash Biden on a regular basis-such fun!...
"David Axelrod recently got a gift in the mail.
"It was a box of political pins that captured the unique role that the former top Barack Obama strategist has carved out for himself as a 2024 political commentator and how allies of the current president see Axelrod at this moment in time.
The message on the pins? Pricks for Biden.
For years now, Axelrod has used his many platforms two podcasts, CNN punditry and regular interviews with political reporters to offer a lot of unvarnished advice for and criticism of Joe Biden.
In November, he suggested Biden think long and hard about running for reelection. He has been withering about Bidens skills as a candidate and communicator. He is deeply concerned about the presidents age. And unlike other Democrats in the anti-bedwetting set, Axe has been clear that the party should be freaked out by the polls."
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2024/01/12/david-axelrod-obama-biden-2024-00135194
Search Google and see how often Axelrod has attacked Biden.
https://www.google.com/search?q=axelrod+doesn%27t+like+Biden&sca_esv=4219658475e40e9f&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS1002US1002&sxsrf=ADLYWIKEKZIcfUaur9IfHzdPCAtgllJESQ%3A1715301179697&ei=O2s9ZoGaKuzBkPIPlYKukA0&vedahUKEwjBo_7r6oGGAxXsIEQIHRWBC9IQ4dUDCBA&oq=axelrod+doesn%27t+like+Biden&gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiGmF4ZWxyb2QgZG9lc24ndCBsaWtlIEJpZGVuMggQABiABBiiBEjaL1C9BljhDHABeAGQAQCYAWqgAdEBqgEDMC4yuAEMyAEA-AEBmAIDoALgAcICChAAGLADGNYEGEeYAwCIBgGQBgiSBwMxLjKgB7oD&sclient=gws-wiz-serp
brush
(54,000 posts)LiberaBlueDem
(954 posts)A Socialist would control grocery prices.
A Socialist would control gas prices
A Socialist would control housing prices
Biden has done nothing a Socialist would do except for controlling some medicine prices and saving students from paying more than their share for loans.
So the people would respond, YES we need a Socialist President! Right?
brush
(54,000 posts)but a social democracy, a la the Nordic countries with thriving market economies which support a robust social network of unversal health insurance, free college for those who want it, generous yearly vacations/holiday time, free childcare, generous parental time at child birth.
Higher taxes but since everything is mostly covered by the social contract and the thriving market economy, the taxes don't hurt much.
And btw, the countries with social democracies, are always rated as the societies with the best quality of life. Much better than our dog-eat-dog rat race, and better than doctrinaire socialism also...sort of a combination of the two equals way better than both.
LiberaBlueDem
(954 posts)But he isn't a socialist, yet
brush
(54,000 posts)I have a feeling if he had the option, he opt for social democracy just as he's adapted some progressive position in his admin, surprising some of the progressives like AOC, Bowman, Pressley and the other Squad members.
Biden has been caught up in the right stuff, ya know, with Bernie and them
Thing is do the people want a Socialist or not?
shrike3
(3,933 posts)If he cared about Democrats winning, he could have talked about all this behind closed doors. Instead, he talked to the press.
Cha
(298,289 posts)step up? Phillips?
I know he's an Asshole.. I just didn't know how big of one.
shrike3
(3,933 posts)If he's talking to political people about tactics.
Demsrule86
(68,929 posts)our candidate. He can fuck off.
brush
(54,000 posts)I don't know if bad blood developed during the Obama admin but Axelrod made it known. It's almost as if he resented Joe for having the temerity to try to accomplish what he and David Plouffe accomplished for Pres. Obama.
Who knows, could be something else.
Demsrule86
(68,929 posts)announced Biden would lose...he was wrong. And he is wrong now.
brush
(54,000 posts)He's bitter and it's just making he himself look bad...getting the side eye...like on this thread.
PatSeg
(47,817 posts)there were a number of Obama people who snubbed Biden and didn't want him to run in 2016 or 2020.
I got the impression that Biden was often treated poorly, yet he was loyal and steadfast for the entire eight years. He certainly does not deserve this now. Maybe Axelrod is irked because Biden has accomplished so much in such a short period of time. It certainly sounds like sour grapes.
Leon Panetta said of Biden: He was loyal, I think, to Obama in every way in terms of defending and standing by him, even probably when he disagreed with what Obama was doing. To some extent, [he] oftentimes felt that that loyalty was not being rewarded.
emulatorloo
(44,289 posts)brooklynite
(95,149 posts)Do you object to critiquing campaign strategies that may be flawed?
emulatorloo
(44,289 posts)See Ritaberts post below, they see it too.
brooklynite
(95,149 posts)emulatorloo
(44,289 posts)Oopsie Daisy
(2,861 posts)emulatorloo
(44,289 posts)It wasnt exactly no drama Obama in the dismissal of a trusted advisor, Richard Wolffes new book reveals.
BY CAROL FELSENTHAL
SEPTEMBER 24, 2013, 10:00 AM
https://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/Felsenthal-Files/September-2013/Obama-Axelrod/
Cha
(298,289 posts)of resentment from the "wounded" Axe.
This shouldn't even be on DU. It's Vote Depressing.. Axe must be so Proud.
Mahalo, emulatorloo
Demsrule86
(68,929 posts)a regular basis. I don't understand how you missed it.
Demsrule86
(68,929 posts)greatauntoftriplets
(175,785 posts)Ax has to realize that there's a unique imperative to voting for Biden in this election. On the other hand, Mr. and Mrs. Man on the Street likely haven't a clue who Axelrod is.
Cha
(298,289 posts)Pres Biden called Axe a "Prick".. no they don't have a feud going.
Biden in spat with ex-Obama adviser who urged him to get out or get going
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/nov/14/joe-biden-david-axelrod-election-2024
Fuck Off Axerod
BComplex
(8,102 posts)And Axelrod is spreading stupid.
Cha
(298,289 posts)sheshe2
(84,145 posts)Thank you, Cha.
Cha
(298,289 posts)in my Opinion, she.
You're Weclome
shrike3
(3,933 posts)Cha
(298,289 posts)freaking Obvious or anything.. just by reading Axe's words.
He's Projecting his "pride" on to Pres Biden".
It's Terrible anyone giving Axe a Platform to spread his Vote Depressing for the 2024 Election.
Demsrule86
(68,929 posts)brewens
(13,706 posts)but just the proposal to make things right with inflation would be a winner.
Trump made that phony announcement a number of times leading up to the 2018 mid-term election and there was nothing to it. Complete bullshit. I never understood how he got away with it. Especially MAGAts that squall like little bed wetting mama's boys about taxes. How the hell did they not flip out over that?
Alliepoo
(2,244 posts)Peoples wallets are hurting and thats a fact. I dont think most folks give a dang about stuff going on in the country besides the cost of groceries and goods, gas, the cost of housing, taxes etc. Its up close and personal every single week when we have to pay bills and buy food, fill our tanks. It hurts and Biden has to address that. He absolutely has to. Like now. And continue til the election. Pound on it.
....
Demsrule86
(68,929 posts)And things are good. This is the best economy in my lifetime...you have GOP types claiming. It is untrue. We have the lowest unemployment in my memory...so it is bad enough dumb Republicans spread this shit. But we shouldn't. It is not true. Can you imagine what would be said if Trump was president about how great it all is? Not only do we have liar GOP types but we have to deal with really bad media who rarely give us a break while supporting the right...But in the end, Roe and the truth will persevere.
Elessar Zappa
(14,163 posts)especially women. This has been shown in several races where Democrats have overperformed by a large margin.
shrike3
(3,933 posts)He could have addressed it privately. Instead, he chose a public forum, and so may have given the opposition more to work with.
Raven123
(4,978 posts)He does not deny more needs to be done, but hes running for reelection. He is suppose to remind voters of his administrations accomplishments. The fact that there are so many seems to flummox Axelrod. None of us sees every campaign event, but what do you expect him to do? Ignore low unemployment? Ignore the infrastructure bill? Ignore successful medication price negotiations?
Im not an election savant, but I loath these criticisms from prior campaign officials as counterproductive.
brooklynite
(95,149 posts)Definitely will have an impact on voters.....
Demsrule86
(68,929 posts)I don't think what he says is true...and I have no use for him and his shitty podcast with Republican cohost.
brooklynite
(95,149 posts)and his many Democratic and professional political analysts.
shrike3
(3,933 posts)Ritabert
(682 posts)He whines about Biden but offers no actions that Biden can take. Biden can't rein in greedflation. The Republicans won't let him target record corporate profits.
Demsrule86
(68,929 posts)a prick.
Silent3
(15,470 posts)...like "I know many of you are still suffering", "You many not be feeling it yet...", "Look, I know we have a long way to go", etc., don't cut it either.
Part of the reason many Americans aren't feeling the improvement in the economy is the constant doom-and-gloom focus of the media. Biden and his campaign have to counteract that by touting his SIGNIFICANT accomplishments.
brooklynite
(95,149 posts)Starting point for Bill Clinton.
How'd that work out?
Silent3
(15,470 posts)He obviously won two terms, but I don't remember anymore if the "I feel your pain" approach was considered harmful or helpful.
brooklynite
(95,149 posts)He was incredibly empathic towards voters concerns, legitimate or not.
excellent in person. And, as he was sandwiched between Bushes, gets major points for being able to speak English.
BeyondGeography
(39,406 posts)live love laugh
(13,247 posts)awesomerwb1
(4,272 posts)NewHendoLib
(60,044 posts)Walleye
(31,206 posts)SleeplessinSoCal
(9,214 posts)I don't think it's "pride". Biden has accomplished a lot to be proud of, but the rarefied air of the White House doesn't experience inflation like rest of us.
emulatorloo
(44,289 posts)Cha
(298,289 posts)on his insults.
BannonsLiver
(16,552 posts)This is the kind of messaging that gets adjusted as the campaign plays out.
Upthevibe
(8,122 posts)Last edited Thu May 9, 2024, 05:51 PM - Edit history (1)
Cha
(298,289 posts)Fuck his "Pride" SHIT INSULT.
I can't believe this is being Rec.. It's Vote Depressing.. Want TSF to win?
skylucy
(3,750 posts)when she was the nominee either. I think it is just in his nature to be a pompous asshole.
Hiya Cha!
Cha
(298,289 posts)History with PJB, too.
I posted in this thread but Im on my phone now so cant post it here now.
I think Axe is Projecting his Pride insult.
Aloha! Always good to see you! 💙🌊🕯️🕊️🇺🇸😎
former9thward
(32,209 posts)I guess that counts for nothing...
Demsrule86
(68,929 posts)really wasn't that good at it.
former9thward
(32,209 posts)Axelrod first worked with Obama during his U.S. Senate campaign in 2004, where he coined Obamas signature campaign slogan, Yes We Can.
He masterminded Obamas win in the 2008 presidential election.
After Obamas election, Axelrod served as the presidents Senior Advisor during his first term.
He continued to play a key role in Obamas successful re-election campaign in 2012.
honest.abe
(8,699 posts)They are both political geniuses in my opinion. But Ax does have point. Maybe Joe needs to do something like "fireside chats" and talk to people about these issues and ensure them he understands how they feel and is going to work hard as hell to fix the financial problems many people are having.
PS. I dont like that Ax used the word "pride". I dont think that is helpful.
Demsrule86
(68,929 posts)I am so disappointed in him.
niyad
(114,117 posts)doing since Jan. 2021?
Ms. Toad
(34,161 posts)We will not win the election is we continue to tell those open to voting for Trump that they can't believe their lying eyes.
When more of your money is going for food, rent, etc., the claim that the economy writ large is better rings hollow.
I disagree that it is an issue of ego; I think it is more that he isn't living paycheck to paycheck and isn't aware of how differently people who are experience the economy primarily in how far their paycheck goes.
We have to find a way to address their lived experience, rather than denying it.
303squadron
(565 posts)But here is the problem. You can make them pay more taxes and they'll just pass it on to the customer.
But how do you tell them not to be such effing greedy bastards!
The true reason for inflation is not Joe Biden.
I_UndergroundPanther
(12,518 posts)Bastards and do what you can to stop the greed. Greed will be what destroys capitalism and ruins our lives.
303squadron
(565 posts)The whole purpose of a corporation is to maximize profit while limiting liability. Their sole purpose is to make money for the lucky few who are shareholders while giving the rest of us the middle finger.
They don't effing care!
I_UndergroundPanther
(12,518 posts)Imperative.
303squadron
(565 posts)I_UndergroundPanther
(12,518 posts)To be for the well being and health and stability of all human beings, society , animal life ,employees, the environment and life in general on this planet. The better they care for humanity society and the planet the more money they get.
Use thier greed and overweening ambitions to the whole worlds advantage. Profit seeking and ever expanding growth on a finite planet will kill us all if it is not controlled or stopped or changed.
They had thier time to amass insane wealth now its time to pull thier heads out of the trough and grow up and learn what kids in kindergarten learn which is empathy and to share.
Rich people do not earn what they take they are parasitic. They exploit and monetize everything. Take the price tag off the planet before it is unlivable.
Vinca
(50,346 posts)He should STFU because is Biden isn't re-elected, this country as we know it will be flushed down the golden commode.
Doodley
(9,185 posts)Cha
(298,289 posts)why.
Pres Biden is NOT "Prideful".. Axehole is throwing Salt on his Insults at Pres Biden.
shrike3
(3,933 posts)Not with the press. In public. Axelrod was also one of the "Biden must step aside" crowd, so his motives are suspect to some.
He could have picked up the phone, talked to anyone in the campaign and said, "Your guy's got to get it together." Not the message, but the way it's delivered.
Response to shrike3 (Reply #88)
Doodley This message was self-deleted by its author.
live love laugh
(13,247 posts)bucolic_frolic
(43,614 posts)You don't telegraph your best pitch now. That will give your opponent time to counter. You beat around the bush now. You throttle up at the convention, and go for broke with your fastball in October. Axelrod, as much as he did for Obama, has become an insidious whiner. Too much visibility, too much a media personality. He's as bad as Rick Wilson.
Hassler
(3,410 posts)MOMFUDSKI
(5,862 posts)and especially on CNN. It is just about the money for him now.
Demsrule86
(68,929 posts)Sympthsical
(9,208 posts)And incredibly counterproductive. Not sure how many times in how many different ways I can explain this.
The economy looks great on paper. But it is experienced much differently in homes.
You can't tell people they're not experiencing what they're experiencing. They won't vote for you. That just opens a door for demagogues. Because give a demagogue some credit - they'll play to what people are feeling.
The costs of living have been going up, up, up for people.
Yes, I know what all the reports say, all the headlines and sound bites and op-eds. But they are written by people who are not experiencing this. So while they think, "Everything's great!" they do not see and cannot perceive the people on the lower rungs.
I can't figure out where the problem is. Is it that the media are out of touch? Which they are. They talk about the economically disadvantaged like they're remaking Gorillas in the Mist, and they've just entered the jungle of poverty to see how the natives behave in their natural habitat. Or is it the political consultants who are so insulated and data driven that they just stopped talking to actual people?
There's a disconnect here, and I desperately wish it would get recognized and fixed sooner rather than later. I've been banging this drum for two years and hoping it would change. But no. It really does seem like we're going into the election with this. Lord help us.
Demsrule86
(68,929 posts)booked most of the time. Ths is not a bad economy.
Sympthsical
(9,208 posts)I remember very vividly a conversation we had, when inflation around 9%, and you made a similar argument. "I don't see any prices at the grocery store going up. People are just making it up." (paraphrasing from memory of course, but it really stood out to me at the time which is why I remember it)
Which was really . . . kind of something to say. So maybe perception and reality aren't meshing?
I don't know what to tell you. I see the cost increases with my own eyes. Rents. The cost of food. Energy costs. All up up up, and people's paychecks aren't keeping up with these changes. I know what the data say, the nationwide data, but I see it on the ground all over the country. I watch my nieces and nephews in their 20s, and they're struggling. We are constantly giving them money to smooth things out for them, and they are not being idle. They have jobs. I see my renter friends trying to put their paychecks to meet the costs. People have been discussing their electric bills nonstop since January.
For someone to come down, "No, I don't see it. There are not problems." It's just not a good political posture.
I'm fine. My partner and I are awesome. But that doesn't mean we don't see that other people are struggling. The disconnect in not observing what people are screaming all over the place is happening is terrible election politics. It can't be ostriched. Gaza and all that mess doesn't worry me about November. This kind of thing does.
shrike3
(3,933 posts)Instead of airing disagreements in public.
I_UndergroundPanther
(12,518 posts)And Biden needs to address it. If he did he would get more votes and we could trounce trump and the Republican Party into the dirt.
shrike3
(3,933 posts)Axelrod is supposed to be a Democrat. Why not make a few well-placed phone calls?
Does he want Biden to lose?
Is his pride hurt? Is he being kept out of the campaign somehow? Will his pride cost us the election?
MustLoveBeagles
(11,695 posts)Don't give talking points to the other side.
shrike3
(3,933 posts)He's up to his usual tricks, I guess.
SARose
(283 posts)Daughter saw a Sonic ad on tv for $0.99 large drink. Out and about she drove thru and ordered. Sonic employee says thatll be $3.65. Daughter said saw tv ad blah blah. Oh thats only on the app. She said forget it. They said how about 99 cents?
I truly believe Joe Biden needs to meet with CEOs from grocery stores, McDonalds, Sonic, Starbucks, etc. and go all Dark Brandon. Seriously! This is absurd.
So, yes, I agree with Axelrod. Use the bully pulpit.
Demsrule86
(68,929 posts)Joinfortmill
(14,558 posts)My Own Worst Enemy
(2 posts)And the economy in 2012 was far worse than it is today.
Unemployment averaged 8% throughout 2012 and I don't recall Obama clamming up and not talking up all he did for the economy.
Biden isn't out there saying everyone is doing great and that all is fantastic. He's consistently admitted that there are areas of focus.
But was it hubris for Obama in 2012 when he said the economy was rebounding?
Or when he said, in spring, 2012, that "the private sector is doing just fine..."?
Did Axelrod go to the media and lambast Obama for being prideful and if he keeps it up, he'll lose reelection?
Obama was dealing with a far worse economy than today. Growth was slow. Unemployment was still high. Benefits were scarce.
Yet he would have been foolish to not focus on what he inherited and the work he did.
In the end, much of the economic frustration remains a byproduct of the press. The media continually tells Americans the economy is awful and Americans start believing it, even if it goes against their own personal situation. Why? Because they then see themselves as an anomaly. Gosh, I'm doing okay financially but the media keeps dooming about a recession so maybe the economy *is* awful.
The facts?
Inflation remains elevated because consumers keep spending. They keep spending because they have money. They have money because we have record-levels of unemployment. If the economy was in the tank and people were really struggling, inflation would eventually work itself out, as it did in the early 80s when unemployment surged to 10% nationally. People are only spending because they have the money to spend. That inherently points to a good economy.
But the media frames it as all bad all the time and that absolutely impacts it. So, Biden should lean into the economic progresses he' seen - just as Obama did twelve years ago.
niyad
(114,117 posts)Response to niyad (Reply #97)
Name removed Message auto-removed
doc03
(35,485 posts)says "I know more than anyone" about 100 different subjects and Axelrod talks about Biden's pride!
Beam me up!
I had a different name for Axlerod but changed it so not to get hidden for criticizing a Democrat.
FSogol
(45,604 posts)FloridaBlues
(4,019 posts)And the economy. Axelrod is no friend of Biden or Democrat for that matter. His Republican friend on his old podcast took over his brain years ago.
unblock
(52,556 posts)Biden has no use for axelrod and has rebuffed his overtures, so axelrod is getting his revenge through a bit of sabotage.
It's not the first time, and it won't be the last.
Freethinker65
(10,123 posts)Explain how successful the rebounding post COVID has been compared to other developed countries.
Explain that tax cuts to the wealthy and cuts to social programs only help the wealthiest Americans.
brooklynite
(95,149 posts)Freethinker65
(10,123 posts)If all, or most, or even many, other developed countries were doing better at something than the US, one has more reason to wonder why TF can't we in America do this (for example: life expectancy, healthcare costs, and yes, income inequality).
Bash the US for income inequality, possibly, but for unemployment rates or inflation, nope.
And if people honestly believe Trump deporting immigrants (that this country relies on for cheap reliable labor) and raising tariffs is going to bring down prices they are ignorant or crazy. Ignorance can be fixed. The Democrats aren't good at messaging.
And Biden does empathize with struggling Americans. He has forgiven student loans and made medicines more affordable. He has done more for rural Republican majority areas than Trump ever has or will.
brooklynite
(95,149 posts)Demsrule86
(68,929 posts)brooklynite
(95,149 posts)Im reporting his strategic analysis. Either you think Biden is ahead and doesnt need to worry, or hes not ahead and needs to come up with a strategy different from what Axelrod suggests. Which?
Demsrule86
(68,929 posts)think you described it as disappointing. It is been a while but it was something like that. This was despite the the breathless polls showing Fetterman was doomed -doomed I tell you. And of course, his campaign was all wrong, but he won in the end.
brooklynite
(95,149 posts)I gave you the two situational options. Either Biden is ahead or he's not. Which is it?
ms liberty
(8,640 posts)I think Axelrod has had issues with Biden for a long time now, and I'm with Joe on his strategy for what will be his
LAST GENERAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN FOR AN ELECTED OFFICE, EVER.
dawg
(10,626 posts)Biden might get bored after handing over the reins to President Harris in 2029 and decide to run for another Senate term. He'd still be younger than Chuck Grassley.
andym
(5,447 posts)The price of gas in early November itself is an important metric. People do have jobs so Joe Biden can take credit for that, though macroeconomic forces probably have more to do with that and inflation than what the US President is doing. OTOH he must also state that there is work to do on inflation and he will get it done.
In the end, "Feeling your pain" as Bill Clinton stated works much better when someone else holds the oval office (like George HW Bush).
Demsrule86
(68,929 posts)duckworth969
(690 posts)Nothing to see here
question everything
(47,640 posts)larwdem
(761 posts)for tfg to say everything is great?
betsuni
(25,877 posts)it's they do too often and we are back to the out-of-touch elites who don't understand the working American people and are too stupid to understand anything thing.
Republican voters thought the economy under Obama was horrible and the instant Trump was inaugurated thought it was terrific while Republicans always wreck the economy, have no policies to help the working/middle class and their messaging is culture wars word salad with nuts. Has nothing to do with reality.
Cosmocat
(14,601 posts)If he loses its because this country is stupid as shit.
My entire life this dynamic has existed where dems get slagged over inane crap like this while Rs are being complete lunatics.
That a hundred plus million people in this country are capable of ginning themselves up to vote for a morally and ethically corrupt, hateful, pos over a decent, kind and extremely competent public servant will be why Joe Biden loses if it comes to that.
Algernon Moncrieff
(5,798 posts)...or the short-sightedness.
IbogaProject
(2,875 posts)The econ # are great, but the recovery has been K shaped. Many are worse off. Joe needs to run agains the do nothing GOP. Joe tried to do more with the two big 2021 spending bills, but the big money in politics plus the filibuster both made it harder to deliver. His spending bills have been transformative but below what he planned. He has to run againt the rich foljs tax cuts and has to promise to do some fixes for the bottom 70-80%. And those GOP stealth tax hikes that hit in 2023 are just showing up. He has to acknowledge the economic pain of the bottom half and direct blame towards the source the GOP. And we need clear simple promises.
shrike3
(3,933 posts)He could have called anybody in the campaign. Instead, he talks to The Hill.
Demsrule86
(68,929 posts)including Fox and podcasts where the co-host is a Republican. He is a traitor to our party. It has been going on since 2020. He doesn't care about Roe or our democracy.
LetMyPeopleVote
(146,193 posts)brooklynite
(95,149 posts)...so what? Are you claiming he actually wants Biden to lose?
IbogaProject
(2,875 posts)The K shaped recovery has left many behind. We wouldn't want to go back to the former administration. But food and gas were cheaper then and many voters fall for GOP sound bites.
riversedge
(70,574 posts)I hear at the grocery line week after week. sometimes Biden's name comes up. Most of the time not. It is an uneasiness with the economy that is is affecting so many at this point in time.
How will they vote?? I do not know
IbogaProject
(2,875 posts)I'm focusing on what Joe did, fix the infrastructure. Last slob couldn't even stage an event, let alone get one bridge fixed. Tgat was the one supposed area of expertise he supposedly had. That way we can allow them to slither frim not voting D before whilesaving face. And then I explain that the GOP put in tax hikes to scam owning the actual cost of the Trump Tax Cuts, which are a hike on a majority of Anericans. Simple, Joe got bigger spending bills building and restoring American infrastructure than ever before and it came up short of his goal due to big money corrupting the Senate.
Demsrule86
(68,929 posts)Demsrule86
(68,929 posts)attack him. I can remember nothing positive about Joe Biden coming from Axelrod. This article is from 2019, during the primary...he hates Biden and has for years. Thus, I believe anything he says or reports is suspect. And because I believe he helps Trump and hurts Biden with his snark, I despise Axelrod. He also is after the money...goes venue to venue and doesn't care who is elected...although I have often wondered if he truly hopes Trump wins.
Biden. I wouldnt say he was a house of fire in any of the debates that weve been to, Axelrod said of the top-tier Democratic hopefuls debate performances.
And yet he comes, kind of bumps along, kind of Mr. Magooing his way through this, he added, referring to the popular cartoon character known for being nearly blind.
https://thehill.com/homenews/media/471469-david-axelrod-biden-mr-magooing-his-way-through-democratic-primary/
brooklynite
(95,149 posts)Axelrod wants Biden to lose and is therefore...saying how he thinks the campaign could be improved?
Demsrule86
(68,929 posts)I don't see anything helpful in his words. I see right-wing bullshit these days. It is very disappointing.
shrike3
(3,933 posts)He can't pick up a phone and call anyone in the campaign? Even call Obama?
In a tight race, you publicly trash the candidate? In what world is this helpful?
brooklynite
(95,149 posts)Undecided voters don't listen to political podcasts, nor do they read Politico or other websites.
shrike3
(3,933 posts)Why do you think saying it publicly "helps"? I'd really like to know. Common sense says you keep the dirty laundry inside, not outside.
brooklynite
(95,149 posts)It seems to boil down to I dont want to hear things I disagree with
shrike3
(3,933 posts)And if it doesn't have a positive impact, why say it at all?
PatSeg
(47,817 posts)No wonder Biden calls him the P word.
flamingdem
(39,345 posts)What a frickin' prick!
I hope it's not just about making a buck.
Why can't dems be as united as the gop.
It's really sad.
Demsrule86
(68,929 posts)blamed Biden. Axelrod isn't very good and they didn't think he was effective. He is only on to trash Democrats...both in 20 and 24. And of course he is cashing in.
PatSeg
(47,817 posts)a lot of the attitude toward Biden from some of the Obama people. Some of them have been putting Joe down for a very long time. Much of it was so demeaning and condescending. Meanwhile, Biden has accomplished more than any president in my lifetime - I think that might irk people like Axelrod.
Joe is a better person than I am. I would be extremely bitter.
You could certainly see technocratic eye-rolling at times, said Jen Psaki, the former White House communications director. Young White House aides frequently mocked Bidens gaffes and lack of discipline in comparison to the almost clerical Obama. They would chortle at how Biden, like an elderly uncle at Thanksgiving, would launch into extended monologues that everyone had heard before.
snip
Meanwhile, Biden loyalists stewed, aware that the vice president, who had gotten himself elected to the Senate at age 29 in the year of President Richard M. Nixons landslide reelection and served 36 years, had a range of Washington political skills Obama lacked. The president and his closest allies seemed unaware of how he would alienate potential allies with his preachy tone, particularly in Congress, where Biden excelled.
There's a lot more. It's a rather long article, but it was very interesting and informative.
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/08/14/obama-biden-relationship-393570
Demsrule86
(68,929 posts)help from Bill Clinton who made some impressive stops in Youngstown Ohio and other places.
PatSeg
(47,817 posts)among some of Obama's people here and there, but to the public they were selling "what best buds" they were and Joe was always praising Obama.
Then last year I read the book The Last Politician: Inside Joe Biden's White House and the Struggle for America's Future by Franklin Foer and he made it quite clear that it wasn't my imagination. Biden was treated disrespectfully and apparently no one wanted him to run for president.
He must have felt like that little kid with a stutter again. Well, he did it his way, showing them all how wrong they were. Maybe people like Axelrod want Joe to fail, so then they can say they were right. Really pisses me off.
flamingdem
(39,345 posts)after covid and Trump.
Inflation is caused by a lot of greed along the pipeline and Biden has called
it out.
Just how much worse would it be if Trump was in office again.
Those who are suffering at the bottom simply cannot believe Trump will
improve the economy.
Biden can and probably will own up to the fact of ongoing inflation. But
it is coming down.
Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin
(108,617 posts)Voltaire2
(13,349 posts)to address legitimate economic anxiety.
Go big or go home. Who said that? Warren? She was right then and it is the right path again.
lees1975
(3,966 posts)You can't do this kind of stuff and expect to win elections.
Why does someone always seem to come along and throw cold water on everything? Geez, we're six months out and Axelrod, who knows better, pulls something like this.
Why not just concede now and gift wrap the election for the indicted criminal now?
Traurigkeit
(535 posts)claudette
(3,644 posts)Anyone with a brain would vote for President Biden rather than the orange criminal. If Dems stay home - then we're going to get what we deserve. Gawd forbid!
Traurigkeit
(535 posts)writes as negative as possible if not even bring lies into it.
Flash953
(87 posts)The tactics that Walmart employs keeps prices higher. Lower income people are struggling. Their buying power is more important to them. They don't have the luxury of even writing . They are too busy working.
https://time.com/6307359/government-ftc-walmart-prices/
Kick in to the DU tip jar?
This week we're running a special pop-up mini fund drive. From Monday through Friday we're going ad-free for all registered members, and we're asking you to kick in to the DU tip jar to support the site and keep us financially healthy.
As a bonus, making a contribution will allow you to leave kudos for another DU member, and at the end of the week we'll recognize the DUers who you think make this community great.