Biden spins a message of hope as an anxious nation readies for Thanksgiving.
When a president has to assure Americans there’ll be enough turkey for Thanksgiving, it’s a sure sign of national malaise.
That was the case Tuesday as the holiday season begins with citizens, already wearied by the worst public health crisis in 100 years, now punished by rising prices, the painfully high cost of gasoline and fears that winter’s arrival could mean another spike in Covid-19 cases.
President Joe Biden’s transformational agenda is designed to reorient the economy toward working people. But American wallets and morale are hurting now, so its complex programs, which may take months or years to deliver relief, won’t lighten the dark mood music on a holiday he is spending on Nantucket.
While there are some strong signs in the economy pointing to job and wage growth, Republicans are seizing upon the country’s difficulties to lambast Biden’s leadership, increasingly confident of big wins in the House and Senate next year. Every day brings new evidence for their case, with headlines about Dollar Tree raising its eponymous baseline price to $1.25 and with staples like breakfast cereal set to cost more in 2022.
Meanwhile, US price surges, a key measure of inflation, eased in the third quarter of the year, data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis out Wednesday showed. And weekly claims for unemployment benefits fell last week to the lowest level since 1969, when adjusted for seasonal swings…Read More