Making the Most of the ‘Biden Boom’

 

The last two years have not gone well.  Devastating inflation (reducing the wealth of absolutely everybody, rich and especially poor), urban collapse, high interest rates, increasing racial tensions, a European war that threatens WWIII, increasing energy costs, huge drops in the stock market, China invading our airspace (& Taiwan’s airspace) with no consequences, a humanitarian crisis at our southern border, shipping problems, rising crime rates, explosions in suicides and drug overdoses, prominent leaders openly discussing secession, the FBI, CIA, and our military becoming prominent partisan actors in our political sphere, and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on…

Republicans are displeased, but this is not surprising.  They didn’t vote for all this to begin with.

It’s the Democrats I wonder about.  Paul Krugman won a Nobel Prize for Economics.  He is not stupid.  When he wrote the above article when Biden was elected, did Mr. Krugman believe it?  Did he really believe that leftism would make America a better place, like it did Venezuela, Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, Cuba, etc? Regardless of whether he believed what he was writing then, what does he think now? Now that he has seen how this turned out, if he were given the chance, would he go back in time and vote for Trump instead of Biden?  If not, why not?  How many people voted for Biden?  How many of them would vote the same way today?  Why?

I’ve heard that there is a growing movement among Democrats who hope that Biden does not run for re-election.  Why, I cannot imagine, since he has been the most productive Democrat president since at least FDR, and probably ever.  He has gotten more Democrat policies enacted in just two years than any other Democrat president has in their entire term.  But still, some Democrats apparently want someone new.

But despite that, and despite all that has happened, I really believe that a huge majority of Democrat voters would not change their vote in 2020, given the chance. Despite all that has happened.

I just don’t understand.

Conservatives have long said that no one could be a leftist unless they were unaware of the events of the 20th century, and unless they had never traveled to a leftist country like Cuba or Venezuela.  But now here we are — all of us up to our necks in the results of leftism.  And most leftists seem to stick with leftism.

There’s no way they believe that leftism works — the last two years prove that it does not, just as the 20th century did.

There’s no way they’re simply unaware of the results of applied leftism – they’re living it right now.

So why do they continue to support leftism?  The only possible answer I can think of is so horrifying that I refuse to consider it.

Is this what they want for their children?  Of course not.  But they continue to vote for it?

I just don’t understand.

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  1. OldPhil Coolidge
    OldPhil
    @OldPhil

    Paul Krugman won a Nobel Prize for Economics.  He is not stupid.

    [Image - 60816] | O RLY? | Know Your Meme

    Paul Krugman on 11/9/2016: “Trump Will Bring Global Recession”

    Paul Krugman: Trump will bring global recession – POLITICO

    DJIA on 11/9/16: 18,332

    DJIA on 1/6/21: 30,831 +68%

    • #31
  2. Western Chauvinist Member
    Western Chauvinist
    @WesternChauvinist

    The Left/Democrats/progressives aren’t exactly known for their intellectual and moral coherence. . .

    Once you’ve given up on objective truth and accountability to a Higher Power, everything is fair game, up to and including the murder and mutilation of children, because you’re just so much smarter and more caring than everyone who reasons differently.

    I’ve said it before — leftism is a psycho-spiritual sickness. It’s belief in Satan’s lies — “you will not die,” followed closely by, “you will be as gods.”

    • #32
  3. Red Herring Coolidge
    Red Herring
    @EHerring

    We drove through Hardee’s after my concert to pick up an easy, to-go meal.  Two burgers and one order large fries. $17.00. There was no line at the drive-through. 

    • #33
  4. Ekosj Member
    Ekosj
    @Ekosj

    Re: “Paul Krugman won a Nobel Prize for Economics.  He is not stupid.”

    Actually, the two things aren’t mutually exclusive.   Krugman’s 2008 Nobel was more for his 8 years of continuous anti-Bush screeds than for anything he did in economics.  Recall, in 2009 Obama got awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for …..

     

    • #34
  5. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    Well, technically it’s a plus for me that my mortgage payment is fixed while my income goes up each year due to Biden Inflation, even if it’s not as much as the inflation on everything else.  So in a way, my mortgage is costing me less – as a percentage of my income – each year.

    • #35
  6. TBA Coolidge
    TBA
    @RobtGilsdorf

    Many voters hate Trump more than they like comfort, safety, and solvency. 

    • #36
  7. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    TBA (View Comment):

    Many voters hate Trump more than they like comfort, safety, and solvency.

    Not naturally, they were “programmed” to.  The result is the same, at least to start with, but it might not last if it wasn’t natural.

    • #37
  8. DaveSchmidt Coolidge
    DaveSchmidt
    @DaveSchmidt

    kedavis (View Comment):

    Well, technically it’s a plus for me that my mortgage payment is fixed while my income goes up each year due to Biden Inflation, even if it’s not as much as the inflation on everything else. So in a way, my mortgage is costing me less – as a percentage of my income – each year.

    Many of us have not gotten a meaningful raise in years. 

    • #38
  9. Red Herring Coolidge
    Red Herring
    @EHerring

    TBA (View Comment):

    Many voters hate Trump more than they like comfort, safety, and solvency.

    And I have no sympathy for them. How can we stay a free country with so much low hanging fruit for the left to pick. 

    • #39
  10. Headedwest Coolidge
    Headedwest
    @Headedwest

    OldPhil (View Comment):

    Paul Krugman won a Nobel Prize for Economics. He is not stupid.

    There is a persistent rumor that Krugman’s wife (not a Nobel prize winning economist) writes the columns. But maybe he just writes what his fans like.

    His columns do not have much connection with reality, however they are created.

    I think he and his wife should get a chatbot to write columns. Save them time and get a less unhinged product.

    • #40
  11. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    Headedwest (View Comment):

    OldPhil (View Comment):

    Paul Krugman won a Nobel Prize for Economics. He is not stupid.

    There is a persistent rumor that Krugman’s wife (not a Nobel prize winning economist) writes the columns. But maybe he just writes what his fans like.

    His columns do not have much connection with reality, however they are created.

    I think he and his wife should get a chatbot to write columns. Save them time and get a less unhinged product.

    I suppose KrugmanGPT might be more coherent in some ways, but we already have evidence that ChatGPT is apparently on the left, and also knows how to and does lie.

    • #41
  12. James Lileks Contributor
    James Lileks
    @jameslileks

    Dr. Bastiat (View Comment):

    James Lileks (View Comment):

    Listen, fat. The voters don’t regard it as “leftism.” It’s “sustainable, inclusive, compassionate policies” and it’s soooo much better than the Putin-tool who put kids in cages and told everyone to drink bleach. Leftism is, well, hairy people talking about Marx or something.

    So the real enemy is the social media tycoons, the educational establishment, Hollywood, the news media, and everyone else who teaches the lemmings that leftism is virtuous?

    Yeah, ok. I’m sympathetic to that perspective.

    But first of all, it’s at least partially the fault of the lemmings.

    I’d say mostly the fault of the voters. It’s not difficult to find contrary opinions, ideas, and facts, if you want to. 

    And secondly, why do the social media tycoons et al continue to push leftism, even when they see how it turns out?

    I just don’t understand.

    As someone said – probably Sowell, for all I know – success in one field leads many to think they have the brainpower to apprehend how everything works, or should. It’s nothing new. Henry Ford sailed to Europe to end WW1, and we all know how that turned out. 

    • #42
  13. James Lileks Contributor
    James Lileks
    @jameslileks

    kedavis (View Comment):

    Bryan G. Stephens (View Comment):

    I think it is all about feeling good about ones self. That is it. Vote left because they are the good guys. No matter what.

    i.e., equal misery is “better” than unequal prosperity.

    Equal misery for others.

    • #43
  14. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    James Lileks (View Comment):

    kedavis (View Comment):

    Bryan G. Stephens (View Comment):

    I think it is all about feeling good about ones self. That is it. Vote left because they are the good guys. No matter what.

    i.e., equal misery is “better” than unequal prosperity.

    Equal misery for others.

    Yes, in a way, but as I’ve posited earlier/on other threads, if they basically destroy modern civilization for the “rabble” it won’t really be there for them either.  They won’t have private jets any more, for example.  I wonder if they think they’ll still have stuff like that just for themselves, despite all logic, or if they figure that as long as their Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria are bigger than everyone else’s, that’s what matters.  Even if it does take months instead of hours to get from the US to Europe, and they might die of scurvy along the way.  Or that it’s okay to not have an Internet any more, because they’ll still be able to afford Pony Express when nobody else can.

    Maybe too many of them thought Game Of Thrones could be real, and THEY would be on top at the end.

    How many people think being at the top of Game Of Thrones would actually be better than their life now?  Maybe too many.  It wouldn’t surprise me, considering my usual mantra that most people have an IQ of 100 or less, by definition.  They only think about having naked women around, not what would happen if they get an infected tooth or something in that world.

    Zefram Cochrane didn’t think about that either, when he decided to stay with the Companion.

    • #44
  15. The Reticulator Member
    The Reticulator
    @TheReticulator

    kedavis (View Comment):
    They only think about having naked women around, not what would happen if they get an infected tooth or something in that world.

    Natural selection favors those who reproduce more than those who don’t get toothaches. 

    • #45
  16. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    The Reticulator (View Comment):

    kedavis (View Comment):
    They only think about having naked women around, not what would happen if they get an infected tooth or something in that world.

    Natural selection favors those who reproduce more than those who don’t get toothaches.

    But children also have to survive long enough to reproduce themselves.  And they need to be supported, which may not happen if you die of a tooth infection.

    • #46
  17. The Reticulator Member
    The Reticulator
    @TheReticulator

    kedavis (View Comment):

    The Reticulator (View Comment):

    kedavis (View Comment):
    They only think about having naked women around, not what would happen if they get an infected tooth or something in that world.

    Natural selection favors those who reproduce more than those who don’t get toothaches.

    But children also have to survive long enough to reproduce themselves. And they need to be supported, which may not happen if you die of a tooth infection.

    It’s a numbers game.  It doesn’t have to be a sure thing.  You may also die if you don’t get a tooth infection.  It’s the effect on reproduction that matters. 

    • #47
  18. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    The Reticulator (View Comment):

    kedavis (View Comment):

    The Reticulator (View Comment):

    kedavis (View Comment):
    They only think about having naked women around, not what would happen if they get an infected tooth or something in that world.

    Natural selection favors those who reproduce more than those who don’t get toothaches.

    But children also have to survive long enough to reproduce themselves. And they need to be supported, which may not happen if you die of a tooth infection.

    It’s a numbers game. It doesn’t have to be a sure thing. You may also die if you don’t get a tooth infection. It’s the effect on reproduction that matters.

    But in practical terms it would be nice to reproduce, AND not suffer from horrible pain that primitive technology can’t deal with.

    • #48
  19. The Reticulator Member
    The Reticulator
    @TheReticulator

    kedavis (View Comment):

    The Reticulator (View Comment):

    kedavis (View Comment):

    The Reticulator (View Comment):

    kedavis (View Comment):
    They only think about having naked women around, not what would happen if they get an infected tooth or something in that world.

    Natural selection favors those who reproduce more than those who don’t get toothaches.

    But children also have to survive long enough to reproduce themselves. And they need to be supported, which may not happen if you die of a tooth infection.

    It’s a numbers game. It doesn’t have to be a sure thing. You may also die if you don’t get a tooth infection. It’s the effect on reproduction that matters.

    But in practical terms it would be nice to reproduce, AND not suffer from horrible pain that primitive technology can’t deal with.

    Everyone wants nice things, but that’s not what natural selection prioritizes. It’s good to understand where people’s priorities come from.

    • #49
  20. Flicker Coolidge
    Flicker
    @Flicker

    I swear every time I see this title I read it as Biden Make Boom-Boom.

    • #50
  21. kedavis Coolidge
    kedavis
    @kedavis

    The Reticulator (View Comment):

    kedavis (View Comment):

    The Reticulator (View Comment):

    kedavis (View Comment):

    The Reticulator (View Comment):

    kedavis (View Comment):
    They only think about having naked women around, not what would happen if they get an infected tooth or something in that world.

    Natural selection favors those who reproduce more than those who don’t get toothaches.

    But children also have to survive long enough to reproduce themselves. And they need to be supported, which may not happen if you die of a tooth infection.

    It’s a numbers game. It doesn’t have to be a sure thing. You may also die if you don’t get a tooth infection. It’s the effect on reproduction that matters.

    But in practical terms it would be nice to reproduce, AND not suffer from horrible pain that primitive technology can’t deal with.

    Everyone wants nice things, but that’s not what natural selection prioritizes. It’s good to understand where people’s priorities come from.

    Frumpy middle-aged modern guys, even if they manage to live that long, aren’t going to get the hot babes in Game Of Thrones World any more than they do now.  Meanwhile, there will be nothing to do with bad teeth except pull them out, probably with iron tools and no anesthetics.  Also no antibiotics, no eyeglasses and CERTAINLY no contact lenses…

     

    • #51
  22. HeavyWater Inactive
    HeavyWater
    @HeavyWater

    James Lileks (View Comment):

    Listen, fat. The voters don’t regard it as “leftism.” It’s “sustainable, inclusive, compassionate policies” and it’s soooo much better than the Putin-tool who put kids in cages and told everyone to drink bleach. Leftism is, well, hairy people talking about Marx or something.

    One of my relatives once told me, “You don’t vote for a candidate.  You vote against a candidate.”  

    I think this explains the behavior of many voters, Democrats, Republicans and independents.  

    • #52
  23. HeavyWater Inactive
    HeavyWater
    @HeavyWater

    TBA (View Comment):

    Many voters hate Trump more than they like comfort, safety, and solvency.

    If I had a nickel for every time I heard this one guy call Trump “the tangerine tyrant” I’d be rich.  

    • #53
  24. HeavyWater Inactive
    HeavyWater
    @HeavyWater

    As we have seen in the elections in the San Francisco area, many voters from “progressive” enclaves do have a line they draw somewhere.  

    In the case of San Francisco they hinted at where this line is when they booted out members of the school board who were busy renaming high schools while these high schools were locked down.  Then they booted out the “progressive” district attorney.  

    It’s worth remembering, however, that these voters were able to punish the school board members and the DA without endorsing many items on the conservative agenda (examples: pro-gun, pro-life, tax cuts, spending cuts, etc.)  

    They might be “mad as hell and not going to take it anymore,” but then one wonders what is the it that they are rejecting and what will they accept in its place?

    • #54
  25. Western Chauvinist Member
    Western Chauvinist
    @WesternChauvinist

    The tech tycoons are, definitionally, in the protected class. They can afford to believe their neo-pagan, neo-Marxist fantasies. The Left’s destruction of our institutions and culture doesn’t ruin their lives. It ruins everyone else, whether by “welfare” that disincentivizes work and responsibility (but keeps the underclass voting Democrat), or by punishing the working class with taxes and regulations. 

    • #55
  26. Gazpacho Grande' Coolidge
    Gazpacho Grande'
    @ChrisCampion

    Dr. Bastiat (View Comment):

    James Lileks (View Comment):

    Listen, fat. The voters don’t regard it as “leftism.” It’s “sustainable, inclusive, compassionate policies” and it’s soooo much better than the Putin-tool who put kids in cages and told everyone to drink bleach. Leftism is, well, hairy people talking about Marx or something.

    So the real enemy is the social media tycoons, the educational establishment, Hollywood, the news media, and everyone else who teaches the lemmings that leftism is virtuous?

    Yeah, ok. I’m sympathetic to that perspective.

    But first of all, it’s at least partially the fault of the lemmings.

    And secondly, why do the social media tycoons et al continue to push leftism, even when they see how it turns out?

    I just don’t understand.

    I assume there’s money in it, in the short run.

    • #56
  27. Gazpacho Grande' Coolidge
    Gazpacho Grande'
    @ChrisCampion

    Tex929rr (View Comment):

    kedavis (View Comment):

    Tex929rr (View Comment):

    As far as the cognitive dissonance among leftists goes, I remember two moments that demonstrated it quite well.

    1. A reporter asked Nancy Pelosi during the Obama care fight if she thought the law would be constitutional and she asked him if he was serious. Watching that moment it was (to me) clear that she found the question irrelevant.
    2. Someone asked BHO if he would favor a lower tax rate if it brought in more revenue and he said that no, it was an issue of fairness.

    Those moments when the mask slips.

    He must figure it’s better if they don’t earn the money in the first place, even if that means less to tax.

    It seemed to me that in both cases they had never even thought about the issues they were asked about.

    Or the data had been shown to the them (particularly the tax data), and they batted it away, because it shows that half the country pays no net income taxes and the bulk of personal income taxes paid are by the top percentages of income earners.  A tax cut would benefit people who actually pay taxes, and that can’t be right.  They make money, we can’t give them a break, even if it benefits everyone.

    Commies are stupid.

    • #57
  28. GlennAmurgis Coolidge
    GlennAmurgis
    @GlennAmurgis

    The SOP for the left is as follows:

    STEP 1: the new leftist government is the ideal form of government (e.g., USSR in 1920s, Cuba in 1960s, Venezuela in 2000s) and a model to follow.

    STEP 2: that government fails.

    STEP 3: the left will declare “real socialism has never been tried.

    rinse and repeat.

    • #58
  29. Gazpacho Grande' Coolidge
    Gazpacho Grande'
    @ChrisCampion

    Jerry Giordano (Arizona Patrio… (View Comment):

    Dr. Bastiat: huge drops in the stock market

    Then there’s this one.

    Since Biden took office, the Dow is up and the S&P 500 is up. The Nasdaq composite is down. So stocks are mixed. There has not been a huge drop overall.

    As is often the case, the markets have been up and down on occasion, so there have been periods of decline and periods of increase.

    So maybe the reason that some people think that Biden hasn’t done such a bad job is that your view of the facts — or at least some of them — is incorrect.

    Looks to me that it’s down from the peak, after Biden’s policies had a chance to sink into the economy a bit.

    Or maybe I’m misreading the chart.  3 major indices all track the same way.  I wonder why?

     

     

    • #59
  30. BDB Inactive
    BDB
    @BDB

    Spiteful mutants.

    • #60
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