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In It to Win It

(8,231 posts)
Mon Dec 13, 2021, 12:03 AM Dec 2021

Venting: WHAT THE F*CK IS HE SUPPOSED TO DO?

Polls, people, and idiots constantly say they disapprove of how Biden is handling inflation. What exactly can Joe Biden do? I’m sure there must be an idea that anyone can offer on what Joe Biden is supposed to do.

He can’t force seaports and airports to move faster. He can’t control how many ships go from point A to point B. He can’t control the output of factories. He can’t force oil extractors to produce more. He can’t make midstream and downstream oil and gas companies to add more capacity or refine more petroleum.

Inflation and rising gas prices is happening ALL OVER THE WORLD! EVERYBODY is experiencing inflation. This is not a uniquely American problem. The president doesn’t have as much control over the economy as one would think. What the fuck is he supposed to do?

29 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Venting: WHAT THE F*CK IS HE SUPPOSED TO DO? (Original Post) In It to Win It Dec 2021 OP
Polls change. Joe will follow the right course. OAITW r.2.0 Dec 2021 #1
This is a completely media driven story. DURHAM D Dec 2021 #2
You must be well off because for not well off people questionseverything Dec 2021 #28
We went to a Target earlier. It was packed and people were spending $$. Nt Baked Potato Dec 2021 #3
High demand is the other side of the inflation pressure this time Amishman Dec 2021 #16
Thanks for the comments. Baked Potato Dec 2021 #24
Costco likewise packed. Shelves full. I couldn't find pecans, but turns out they had plenty... Hekate Dec 2021 #26
Right wing narrative controlled by American oligarchs. gab13by13 Dec 2021 #4
+1 nt Phoenix61 Dec 2021 #19
Very true. But the Prez always suffers if economy gets really bad. Hoyt Dec 2021 #5
except the economy is stronger than it's been in a long time. mopinko Dec 2021 #18
poll's are about as worthless as "TFG " !! joe has been at this less than a yr. !! monkeyman1 Dec 2021 #6
Actually, gas prices are already dropping relayerbob Dec 2021 #7
Yup, prices dropped over 12 cents here in the past month. eom LittleGirl Dec 2021 #8
Around 40 Here ProfessorGAC Dec 2021 #20
It's down to 6.13 per gallon here. LittleGirl Dec 2021 #25
That Does Seem High ProfessorGAC Dec 2021 #27
Greedy bastards. eom LittleGirl Dec 2021 #29
Items are returning to store shelves lame54 Dec 2021 #11
No argument here. Funny how the media attacks a president in an adverse PatrickforB Dec 2021 #9
Inflation or recession? NJCher Dec 2021 #10
I have been reminding people KT2000 Dec 2021 #12
Accentuate the positive tiredtoo Dec 2021 #13
It is intentional. Remember, "Thanks, Obama"? elias7 Dec 2021 #14
It's just like that. Surprised nobody's done the "Thanks, Biden" thing. betsuni Dec 2021 #15
He is tackling the supply chain issue Norbert Dec 2021 #17
It's the same type of shit I see on Twitter (and elsewhere) regarding Democrats in congress... NurseJackie Dec 2021 #21
I wish the media would too Mad_Machine76 Dec 2021 #23
Implement better message mechanics, that's about it uponit7771 Dec 2021 #22

OAITW r.2.0

(24,447 posts)
1. Polls change. Joe will follow the right course.
Mon Dec 13, 2021, 12:07 AM
Dec 2021

It's up to the voters to make a thoughtful/intelligent system. But there is nothing like the certitude of the truly misinformed.

DURHAM D

(32,609 posts)
2. This is a completely media driven story.
Mon Dec 13, 2021, 12:11 AM
Dec 2021

No one I know is talking about inflation in real life.

So, therefore when talking with friends in person or on the phone I sign off by saying "Oh goodness... we forgot to talk about inflation. According to the media that is all we talk about." So, how much did you pay for eggs last year? Turkey? Gas? Tums? Gas? No One Knows. No One Cares.

questionseverything

(9,646 posts)
28. You must be well off because for not well off people
Mon Dec 13, 2021, 03:11 PM
Dec 2021

Groceries and gas are a huge part of their budget….it’s definitely getting talked about

Amishman

(5,554 posts)
16. High demand is the other side of the inflation pressure this time
Mon Dec 13, 2021, 07:30 AM
Dec 2021

Supply is constrained as we all know, but there also is plenty of money in people's pockets. I'm not talking stimulus money, which is spent and out of the picture a long time ago, I'm talking rising wages and employment.

The labor crunch right now is increasing the buying power of a huge chunk of the population. Not just by raising salaries, but also because with so many vacancies and the difficulty of hiring, more places are promoting internally.

Supply issues, inefficiencies in production, and rising labor costs all get passed along as higher prices. But enough customers are able to pay it without issue that companies can pass along the full cost increase (or more!) and maintain their profit or even increase margins.

This leaves those who have not benefitted from this labor market in a nasty financial squeeze, leading to discontent.

Baked Potato

(7,733 posts)
24. Thanks for the comments.
Mon Dec 13, 2021, 01:32 PM
Dec 2021

I made kind of a simple point to the OP about what Joe Biden can do regarding inflation. We went to Target for a laptop gift and the sales on some HP ChromeBooks we’re super low. One was $129. People were spending. I know the rising tide isn’t raising all boats, but Democrats can’t control everything all the time. Things are moving fast and Republicans are going to obstruct everything to create even more discontent.

Hekate

(90,637 posts)
26. Costco likewise packed. Shelves full. I couldn't find pecans, but turns out they had plenty...
Mon Dec 13, 2021, 02:04 PM
Dec 2021

…and just needed to restock the baking-goods aisle.

 

Hoyt

(54,770 posts)
5. Very true. But the Prez always suffers if economy gets really bad.
Mon Dec 13, 2021, 12:48 AM
Dec 2021

Maybe one can message legitimate explanations (some might call it “excuses”) that appeases swing voters, but not counting on it.

mopinko

(70,076 posts)
18. except the economy is stronger than it's been in a long time.
Mon Dec 13, 2021, 08:47 AM
Dec 2021

50 yr low in unemployment claims last month.

 

monkeyman1

(5,109 posts)
6. poll's are about as worthless as "TFG " !! joe has been at this less than a yr. !!
Mon Dec 13, 2021, 12:50 AM
Dec 2021

took 4 yrs for trump to fuck all this shit up ! so ez up people !!!

relayerbob

(6,544 posts)
7. Actually, gas prices are already dropping
Mon Dec 13, 2021, 01:32 AM
Dec 2021

Thanks to Joe coordinating relases of oil from strategic stockpies here and among allies. He also has pushed the Saudis to increase output. Since the #1 factor in inflation is energy costs at this time, there will be a huge impact on it overall.

He also put levys on ports sitting on containers, and miraculously, they are now moving. Store shelves are mostly full, even if some things are having issues (mostly due to computer chips).

So, he is already acting, and it is showing signs of working.

Ignore polls.

ProfessorGAC

(64,990 posts)
20. Around 40 Here
Mon Dec 13, 2021, 08:50 AM
Dec 2021

One of our stations (Circle K) is always cheaper than the other 4. They went from $3.629 to $3.139 in 25 days.
Recently, it went back up 4¢ and settled there. Everybody else is at $3.259. They were high three sixties the week before Thanksgiving.
Oddly enough, I went by a Circle K yesterday, in the same county, that was still at $3.569. But, that station is several miles from the next one. So, that might be an "only game in town" situation.

LittleGirl

(8,282 posts)
25. It's down to 6.13 per gallon here.
Mon Dec 13, 2021, 01:44 PM
Dec 2021

Switzerland

Down from 6.73 per gallon a few weeks ago. Highest I’ve ever seen.

ProfessorGAC

(64,990 posts)
27. That Does Seem High
Mon Dec 13, 2021, 03:03 PM
Dec 2021

I spent a lot of time in Europe. Been to your country several times. Montreux & Zurich, mostly.
Nearly $7 per gallon does seem very high!

PatrickforB

(14,570 posts)
9. No argument here. Funny how the media attacks a president in an adverse
Mon Dec 13, 2021, 02:03 AM
Dec 2021

economy. I even saw one person here lauding lower gas prices because Biden released some of the strategic reserve to hold prices down.

What people don't get is that economically, there are two branches of policy - monetary and fiscal. Monetary policy either expands or contracts money supply by adjusting interest rates. Now, transfer payments, which are a part of fiscal policy, can also be used, but this is not usual. The massive transfer payments we had with the stimulus did raise the money supply, but may have contributed to some of the inflationary pressure.

Then, we have supply chain issues, which he has little, if any, control over.

We have high demand for goods, as well, with people generally purchasing fewer services. High demand strains the supply chain, and causes inflationary pressure.

Then, of course, we have the old tried-and-predatory 'profit over people' method of corporate governance, otherwise known as the Doctrine of Shareholder Primacy, which stemmed from a 1919 MI Supreme Court ruling favoring the Dodge Brothers over Henry Ford. In case you are not familiar with that, Henry Ford had this brilliant idea to build cars on an assembly line, which dramatically magnified the productive capacity of his labor force. He knew his factories could put out many, many cars, but who would buy them? Ford reasoned that if he raised the wages of his factory workers to the point where they could afford the cars, then he would also be expanding his market.

The Dodge Brothers, who supplied parts for Ford cars at the time, sued Ford. They felt that 'overpaying' the factory workers denied them profits to which they were entitled as shareholders.

The Dodge Brothers won, and thus was born the Doctrine of Shareholder Primacy, and it became more brutal as the decades went by, with the Chicago School preaching 'supply-side' economics, and spouting the mantra of 'deregulate, privatize, and gut social programs.'

Now, publicly held corporatate governance encourages sociopathic behavior among c-suite executives - busting unions, ripping off pensions, compromising worker safety, wage theft, gouging consumers with smaller packaging for the same price, compromising product safety and quality, and of course fouling the environment whenever they can get away with it.

This is the root cause, In It, of so much that is wrong with 'Murika these days. Take our monetized healthcare system where working stiffs like us have crummy, rationed healthcare with financially crippling copays. Why? Because passing the costs on to the healthcare consumer is better for shareholder profits. Same thing with childcare. Nearly 2 million women are still sitting out of the labor force, and about 900,000 men. Why? Childcare availability is a big factor, but even when it is available, it costs an arm and a leg. Biden is trying to expand government subsidies for child care to more working families, which is very good economic policy, but of course, doing that, or anything at all, that materially benefits the (gasp!) common working American and his/her family is sure to draw bitter Republican resistance.

Profits over people every time! That's them: the party of death, treason, conspiracy, hate, greed and stupidity.

NJCher

(35,650 posts)
10. Inflation or recession?
Mon Dec 13, 2021, 02:11 AM
Dec 2021

By assisting with unemployment during the first part of the pandemic and sending out the 600 and 1200 checks, there is money in the economy.

He could have not done anything (that’s what a Republican would do) and then there would be no inflation.

Is this the preferable response?

KT2000

(20,572 posts)
12. I have been reminding people
Mon Dec 13, 2021, 02:48 AM
Dec 2021

that prices increase because of decisions of private companies and corporations. The people complaining are the same ones who want less regulation on these very entities. They will complain loudly if Biden does take steps to control what private companies charge. This is the world they wanted.

tiredtoo

(2,949 posts)
13. Accentuate the positive
Mon Dec 13, 2021, 02:55 AM
Dec 2021

Jobs and wages up, gas prices dropping increase in Social Security. This should be what the msm is talking about!

Norbert

(6,039 posts)
17. He is tackling the supply chain issue
Mon Dec 13, 2021, 08:08 AM
Dec 2021

which will help to ease inflation. There really isn't much more he can do.

Unfortunately this will take time. This is something the MSM fails to grasp but I guess that doesn't make a 'good' news story.

NurseJackie

(42,862 posts)
21. It's the same type of shit I see on Twitter (and elsewhere) regarding Democrats in congress...
Mon Dec 13, 2021, 08:51 AM
Dec 2021

... and other members of the Biden administration. They denigrate and insult Democrats and the Biden administration and accuse them of being incompetent, or lazy, or corrupt. They demand that congress "DO SOMETHING" right NOW (as if they all have little magic wands... or as if the Democrats had a super-majority in both houses of Congress --- we don't.)

Inflation and rising gas prices is happening ALL OVER THE WORLD! EVERYBODY is experiencing inflation.
I wish the media would make this clearer.

Mad_Machine76

(24,403 posts)
23. I wish the media would too
Mon Dec 13, 2021, 11:36 AM
Dec 2021

but what else are they going to fill the airwaves with? This is as "exciting" as they can get without Trump.

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