Biden's inflation dodge

 Michael Goodwin:

With Biden, the buck always stops somewhere else.

The two straw men he trotted out were familiar — the pandemic and the Putin Price Hike. The latter coined phrase is as ridiculous as President Gerald Ford’s WIN gambit, for Whip Inflation Now, and will no doubt be just as effective economically and politically.

Asked by a reporter after his address whether he accepted any responsibility for the crisis, Biden said no, adding: “I think our policies help, not hurt.”

Saying so doesn’t make it true.

Nor was it credible for him to claim, again, that there is rampant price gouging by oil and lumber companies and beef distributors.

As usual, his performance was marred by a halting, stumbling delivery as if he were reading his speech for the first time. An even bigger problem is that his argument is no match for the reality Americans see and feel.

Consider these numbers: CNN reports 81% of the public thinks the government is not doing enough to combat inflation.

Fox reports that just 36% approve of Biden’s handling of the economy.

And all that was before the latest record hike in gasoline prices. The national average price of regular unleaded is now $4.37 a gallon, up from $4.20 last week and $2.97 a year ago.

Against that backdrop, the White House had to know there was no chance the president’s “I care” appearance would make much of a difference, raising the question of why he bothered. One theory is that the inflation data that comes out Wednesday will be more bad news and Biden’s team saw an advantage in getting ahead of it by having him tell voters he really, really feels their pain.

That’s not much of a reason, but the decision to go ahead shows how the administration has hit a wall of its own making. Even with the tanking stock market and growing belief that the Federal Reserve’s planned interest rate hikes will throw the economy into a recession, Biden seems unable to change course and adopt policies that could help tame inflation and earn him and his party a second look from voters.
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Biden’s dire economic predicament explains why Dems are latching onto the imminent Supreme Court ruling that will likely overrule Roe v. Wade. The White House and Senate Democrats are trying to gin up the anger machine and are supporting the crowds gathering outside some of the justices’ houses.

They’re playing with fire, and their willingness to risk violence shows how desperate party leaders are to motivate voters. My guess is that they will fail to reshape the political climate because, for most families, even the heated topic of abortion is less important than the double gut punch of inflation and a recession.
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Dodging responsibility for screw-ups comes naturally to Joe Biden.  He is having to do a lot of it since getting elected.