Leftist Lexicon Word of the Week

There’s a word Leftists don’t want to use right now, and for once it has nothing to do with Donald Trump. They’ve spent the better part of a year downplaying it, pretending it isn’t a thing, talking up how good the economy really is, and gaslighting anyone who doesn’t buy the happy talk or the memory-holing of this one little word.

Recession.

The Left may not want to talk about it, but we’re living it right now, so we need to be brave enough to tackle it head on.

recession

What the Left thinks it means – an economic downturn caused by Republican/conservative economic policies

What it really means – the direct result of shitty federal financial decisions

You know a situation is bad when the Left has to try to redefine a term it’s been using for decades to attack conservative Presidents. Right now, the Left has been running interference, saying the actual definition of a recession is much more nuanced and complex. In fact, it’s so nuanced and complex that not even Leftists can define it yet, but they know enough to tell us we’re not in one.

Meanwhile in the real world, there is a pretty simple definition. I’ve provided a link to a more detailed explanation, but the short version is two straight quarters (or six months, if you’d prefer) of economic downturn. And no matter how many Leftist fact rejecters…I mean checkers say otherwise, we are hip deep in an economic downturn. How do I know?

New York Times pundit and resident laughingstock in economist circles Paul Krugman.

See, Krugman says we should ignore the definition of a recession that’s been used for, oh, decades and use one that doesn’t make the Biden Administration look like dumbasses. And, remember, kids, this asshat is a Nobel Prize winner, as every Leftist looking to appeal to authority on economic issues will tell you.

But, the thing to remember is he’s wrong. A lot. I’m talking more than the world’s worst TV weatherman. He’s even had to admit he got a lot wrong about the current situation because no one could have predicted everything that’s happened recently, like Russia invading Ukraine and supply chain issues.

You know, shit economists are supposed to account for when making projections?

The easiest rule to apply to Krugman and most Leftists pontificating about economics is to listen to what they say, do the exact opposite, and rake in the cash. And in this world where almost nothing is a sure bet, this is the exception.

Of course, there is a political angle to denying the economic reality. With the economy diving more than Jacques Cousteau, voters are looking for answers, or at the very least somebody to blame. And who has been in power since things have gone south? Why, it’s Democrats and Leftists! Typically midterm elections aren’t good for the party in power, but add in a recession, inflation, and supply chain issues, and Democrats will be lucky just to walk away from the 2022 elections holding onto even some semblance of political power higher than It Takes a Village Idiot.

Therefore, the Left has a vested interest in muddying the waters and telling us we’re stupid if we don’t listen to them. If they can make enough voters believe the economic hellscape we’re living in right now a) isn’t happening, b) is happening, but is Republicans’ faults, or c) you’re a racist, Leftists can preserve their power for a little while longer. If they can come out of the midterm elections with a respectable showing (i.e. not being tarred and feathered), they can use that as momentum going into 2024 where they will have to defend 4 years of moronic decisions made by a man best suited to be retired, not President.

Good luck with that.

The downside to this approach is our pocketbooks have more of an impact on our voting decisions than some high-minded rhetoric by lowlife politicians. If we’re having trouble making ends meet as a direct result of the bad decisions of our elected officials (like, you know, not paying attention when their decisions wind up hurting voters’ pocketbooks), it tends to turn off a lot of potential voters. However, sales of torches and pitchforks may skyrocket. Invest wisely, my friends.

While our elected officials on the Left tell us the economy is fine, it’s important to remember they don’t know what they’re talking about because a) they can’t feel their way to a strong economy, and b) they really don’t know/care about the struggles John Q. Public face since they’re getting rich by doing next to nothing. All they care about is maintaining their cushy lifestyles by any means necessary. And if they have to roll up their tinted limousine windows to avoid looking at it, they will.

At least until it’s time to lobby for votes.

Ignorance can be excused to a point. (Exceptions may apply. I’m looking at you, Socialist Socialite!) Callousness cannot. Right now, it’s hard to tell which one is driving the Left’s obsession with not facing the economic reality facing us right now, but neither one makes them look very good.

If there are any Republican candidates reading this, let me give you an idea for a campaign ad. Just point to the high gas prices, high grocery costs, and low-IQ responses to them and say, “If you’re sick of this, vote for me and I will work to undo it all.” If you don’t win by at least 50 points, it will be a surprise.

I’m Not Wild About Harris

I would hate to be President Joe Biden right now. Not only is he presiding over higher inflation, a recession (depending on how the Left is defining it this microsecond), and a job approval rating going further into the basement than he was during the 2020 election, but he has a new problem. A recent New York Times/Siena College poll shows 64% of Democrats polled would rather see someone else run for President in 2024. Granted, media polls are usually as reliable as a Bill Clinton marriage vow, but this still caught my eye.

If the polling data is accurate (and, I must reiterate that’s a pretty big if), it signals a problem not just for the President, but for the Vice President. Since being named as Biden’s running mate, Kamala Harris has been basking in a pretty bright spotlight and expected to do great things. And she has failed spectacularly on all fronts, with the Vice President’s approval ratings being slightly higher than the President’s. Granted, that’s a pretty low bar these days, but it’s still telling.

Even with Harris being more popular, she doesn’t seem to be as prominent as she was during the campaign and early in the Administration. A large part of this stems from her seeming awkwardness in situations that require a bit more attention to reading the room. Whether it’s laughing at inappropriate times while discussion serious topics or turning a speech into a word smoothie (since it’s long since ceased being a word salad), the Vice President still doesn’t seem to have her executive sea legs under her.

Nothing shows this better than her relative invisibility within her own party over Senate matters. Leftists will say this is because of Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema being disloyal Democrats, but there’s a lot more at work here. For one, Senate Democrats (and Democrats in general, to be honest) have taken a hard line on pending legislation and various issues that have arisen since 2021. Instead of trying to keep the aforementioned Senators on board or getting RINOs like Mitt Romney, Susan Collins, or Lisa Murkowski to join them, there’s been some real antagonism going on, so much so it reminds me a lot of high school.

Now, if you remember your civics classes, the Vice President is President of the Senate and can break ties. And right now, the Senate is split right down the middle, with two Independents caucusing with the Democrats. This should be a layup for a party looking to set up Harris for future political success.

Yet, it’s not happening. Some of this can be attributed to the Senate being more contentious than a hostage situation where neither side wants the hostage, but I think there’s an undercurrent of distrust of Harris at play as well. And it goes back to being set up to succeed, only to fail.

Democrats caught lightning in a bottle when they found Barack Obama. Say what you will about the former President (and, trust me, I have), but he was able to cobble together a pretty solid voting bloc that helped him win 2 terms as President. It didn’t hurt that he ran against two Republicans who made Michael Dukakis look like William the Conqueror, but his coalition was still pretty tight.

The problems with catching lightning in a bottle are a) it tends to hurt, and b) it’s hard to do. With Kamala Harris, the initial feeling was she was going to be the female Obama and even managed to get the former President’s seal of approval (or kiss of death, as the case may be).

Then, she ran for President and got crushed. A lot of it came down to the fact she didn’t really connect with voters the way Obama did. From my perspective, she came off as someone who could recite carefully-crafted lines, but couldn’t make them sound genuine or like they were her words in the first place. A crowded Democrat field didn’t help matters any, either, and she failed to stand out as a candidate.

Let me put it this way. I got the same number of delegates in 2020 that she did, and I wasn’t even running.

Fast forward to 2022, and very little has changed with Harris. She still doesn’t seem comfortable in her role and her big policy initiative of dealing with immigration issues has been pretty dismal. It’s almost like she goes through life perpetually unprepared for the big test, but expecting she can fake her way through it because…reasons.

The fact Senate Democrats haven’t relied on Harris as their ace in the hole tells me they may not think she’s as much of an asset as she was in 2020, and it doesn’t bode well if Joe Biden doesn’t run again in 2024 or gets pushed out in favor of someone else. Usually, the Vice President is expected to be capable of picking up the mantle and winds up on the short list of possible Presidential candidates, but I’m not getting that feeling from the Left right now. Some of that is disappointment at not being able to get some of the Left’s current pet projects (forgiving student loan debt, a living wage, figuring out how many bathrooms they need to put in government buildings to accommodate the growing number of genders), but I can’t lay all of that at Harris’ feet. Instead, I think the reason the Vice President isn’t being seriously considered right now to take the big step into the Oval Office is because Leftists have come to the realization she’s not up to the task.

Imagine that. A person elevated to high office because she checked off a certain number of boxes that have nothing to do with competence isn’t working out that well! Who could have seen that coming, right? I mean, aside from anyone who’s followed the rise and fall within Leftist circles of Kyrsten Sinema, but I’m sure that’s just a coincidence. Surely, it can’t happen again…oh, wait…

I have to admit I feel a little sorry for Kamala Harris right now. She’s been thrust into a position she’s not ready for and knows she’s not ready for, but is still expected to perform at a high level. Even with a sympathetic press and a party that outwardly supports her, there is that seed of doubt that keeps growing exponentially with each new blunder, policy failure, and attempt to string together sentences that don’t sound like they came from an AI programmed by Paris Hilton. Even for someone with the ego of a politician, that has to wear on you over time.

Unless you’re an idiot. Then, you seem to have the super power of ignoring your shortcomings. You know, like Eric Swalwell?

Either way, I don’t think the Vice President will be gaining a vote of confidence from the people who voted her into office in the first place.