Staff Reports
In a recent episode of CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo took the stage to skillfully sidestep the reality of the Biden administration’s economic performance while playing the role of a Harris campaign spokesperson. As she launched into a rendition of the familiar lament that inflation was soaring upon President Biden’s arrival, the audience could almost hear the crickets chirping in response to the actual data.
During the segment, co-host Joe Kernen, equipped with the facts, attempted to set the record straight. He pointed out that, contrary to Raimondo’s concerted effort to exonerate the current administration, many of the tariffs instituted during Trump’s presidency remain intact under Biden. Kernen further highlighted the staggering low unemployment rates, the robust performance of the stock market, and the record highs in real wages until the pandemic upended them. Proving that an intelligent discussion doesn’t always slow down a political agenda, Kernen was more than willing to remind everyone about the troubling realities of crime rates and the chaos at the southern border that has flourished on Harris’s watch.
BREAKING: It's Official, In a Crisis, Biden's Commerce Secretary is a Complete Idiot!
Source: https://t.co/rX6wIA5W6Q pic.twitter.com/c0SpcK4gKX
— Bill Mitchell (@mitchellvii) October 1, 2024
Despite Kernen’s well-reasoned counterpoints, Raimondo pressed on, claiming that the U.S. was witnessing a manufacturing renaissance. However, one can’t help but wonder if “manufacturing renaissance” is merely a fancy term for “manufacturing that barely crawls forward at a snail’s pace.” The fact is that many Americans feel the pinch in their wallets each time they head to the grocery store or fill up their gas tanks. That’s real inflation — not a featherbed landing, as claimed by Raimondo, who seems blissfully unaware of what actual economic hardship looks like.
The conversation took a turn when Kernen pointed out that while Raimondo praised the supposed increase in manufacturing, the reality was that manufacturing numbers had been stagnant for the past two years. The disconnect was palpable as Raimondo insisted that new manufacturing construction is at an all-time high. Apparently, some numbers get manipulated better than others, as the economic data suggests a different story.
The sky-high inflation, which was reported at 1.4% in January 2021, appears to have taken off like a rocket, only to be dismissed by Raimondo as a mere bump in the road. Conservative Americans are certainly not fooled by these evasions. It’s a classic case of trying to polish a turd and sell it as gold while defending policies that even the most ardent supporters are struggling to rationalize. The future right now feels like a peddler’s bazaar where facts and figures are twisted, leaving even the most patient folks wishing for a fiscally responsible alternative.
