Y’all, I am just about ready to scream over here. (I’ll get to the good news, I promise. And there is A LOT)
I try to come in with all light and love. You know I try to come in with light and love, right?
But today I have fire, because I am as pissed as piss can get.
Yesterday morning I was driving around running errands, and every time I started the car, my radio would start up with NPR. And y’all, three out of three times, I heard them talking about inflation and how bad and awful the economy is because of it. Three out of three was NPR totally ignoring all the other markers of the economy and pushing the out of control inflation story. Three. Out. Of. Three.
I took some deep breaths. I know that NPR repeats stories in the morning. So bad luck on my part.
When I left work yesterday to come home the car started and guess what they were talking about on NPR? Flippin’ inflation. Again. A new and different story on flipping inflation.
Look, inflation is high right now. It is high relative to normal levels. It is high for the US. And that is a serious issue for many people and shouldn’t be ignored.
But every other stinking measure of the economy is great and we are IN A PANDEMIC. That is amazing. And the media is completely ignoring it.
I get it. Panic sells. And I have come to expect panic porn as the main bread and butter of even most of our left wing outlets (I am looking at you The Atlantic. Your logo might as well be a burning fire with people running screaming in front of it.) But NPR? Y’all are supposed to be calm. You were calm about ^&%$ing Trump! And now you are losing your minds about one indicator? One?
So let me get the good news (the REALLY good news). It is the point of this post, right? Here it is: The economy is good, y’all. It is damn good on pretty much every marker other than inflation.
We are in a pandemic. And it is damn near miraculous that the economy is in the shape it is. Wait. Forget that. It isn’t miraculous. It is the hard *&^ing work of Biden and the rest of the Democrats who have passed multiple bills/budgets/stimuli that made it this good.
How good is the economy?
This is how experts predicted our GDP would rise versus how it did:
This is spending relative to prices, adjusted for inflation. Got that? Despite prices being high, people have confidence in the economy — and their ability to earn — and are participating.
How about jobs? Oh Biden only has the HIGHEST JOB CREATION FOR A PRESIDENT EVER. May I repeat: In A Flipping Pandemic.
JOBLESS CLAIMS ARE AT A 52 YEAR LOW!!! Oh you knew that because NPR was yelling about it all day today. WAIT, no they were not!
And we see growth even from PRE pandemic times!!
The markets are strong, people are making more money, gas prices are falling, and there is reason to think that inflation will cool off soon. NPR?? Do you hear me? Is this thing on (tap, tap)?
Let’s see that again:
Wealth is up 55% for the bottom 50% of earners!! That is HUGE! For the first time in YEARS growth isn’t just because the rich are getting richer.
Of course, NPR seems to be ignoring this. We have to go to somewhere like Washington Monthly to hear about it (I’d never even heard of Washington Monthly, but it is my new BFF. Step aside, NDP!)
It’s a Biden Boom—and No One Has Noticed Yet
Based on the data, President Biden and the Democratic Congress are set to preside over the strongest two-year performance on growth, jobs, and income in decades—so long as the current cycle of inflation eases, and the Omicron variant does not trigger another round of shutdowns. The future paths of inflation and the pandemic are large and important unknowns—but if they break right, everything else points to a Biden boom through 2022.
Over the first three quarters of this year, real GDP increased at a 7.8 percent annual rate—that’s adjusted for the current inflation. The Federal Reserve expects real growth of 5.9 percent for all of 2021, followed by another 3.8 percent increase in 2022. By any recent standard, these are extraordinary gains. From 2000 to 2019, real GDP grew at an average annual rate of 2.2 percent and never reached 3 percent. Investors have noticed: From January 20 to December 7, 2021, the S&P 500 Index jumped 21.7 percent.
Strong growth usually means healthy income gains, and the disposable income of Americans grew 3 percent after inflation over the 10 months from January to October. That far outpaces the gains of only 0.5 percent for the comparable period in 2019 and 1.7 percent in 2018. Wages and salaries comprise nearly all of most households’ incomes, and those earnings also are rising much faster than normal. From January through October, all wage and salary income paid by private businesses increased 2.4 percent aft
If the current high levels of economic, job, and income growth continue, the 2022 midterms could look different than most are predicting.
And The Hill noticed?! The *&^%ing right wing Hill noticed and NPR didn’t?
Biden is delivering the fastest economic recovery in history. Why hasn't anyone noticed?
Democrats are faced with a sticky problem: The economy is nearing full employment after businesses added 210,000 jobs in November, labor force participation climbed to its highest level since the pandemic and wages are rising across many industries. Yet most voters are increasingly pessimistic about President Biden’s economic stewardship.
“I’m not exactly sure why what’s happening isn’t being characterized as a booming recovery from a worldwide shutdown,” Hawaii Sen. Brian Schatz (D) mused in a tweet last month.
Schatz is largely right: Under Biden, the American economy has recovered from its Trump-era lows with remarkable speed. Just a year ago, the unemployment rate sat stubbornly at 6.7 percent. Today, only 4.2 percent of Americans are out of work. Similar economic recoveries have normally taken three times as long.
Here is a summary in video format if you prefer:
and do you know what would help with the inflation? Passing Build Back Better (which will happen eventually)
Economist group touts Build Back Better as inflation offset
a group of 56 economists says President Biden’s Build Back Better Act would counteract the impact of rising prices on Americans’ wallets.
Driving the news: The economists signed a letter, released Friday morning in conjunction with left-leaning advocacy group Invest in America Action, urging Congress to pass the social spending plan swiftly, in order to get the ball rolling on programs that will lower costs for essentials like child care, health care and education.
- Notable signatories include Alan Blinder, former vice chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve, and Elgie Holstein, former special assistant to the president for economic policy at the White House National Economic Council.
I am done with you NPR. No more pledge drive money for you. I should have ended our relationship when you created false equivalencies between HRC and tfg and contributed to the greatest catastrophes in our history of presidencies. I forgave you. But this time we are done. You can keep your tote bag. You can keep your mug. (But I am keeping Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me.)
Now onto even more good news WITHOUT me being so salty (well, maybe a little salty here and there 😂). So grab a cup of coffee (or a cocktail) because there is A LOT of good news to report! ✊🏼✊🏽😍😘
Biden and the Democrats are Doing Great Things
In addition to the economy, other great things are happening (that no one bothers reporting)
Biden Orders Federal Vehicles and Buildings to Use Renewable Energy by 2050
Under an executive order, the federal government would phase out the purchase of gasoline-powered vehicles, and its buildings would be powered by wind, solar or other clean energy.
Justice Dept. sues Texas over redistricting, citing discrimination against Latinos
The Justice Department has sued Texas for the second time in a month over voting-related concerns, this time alleging that Republican state lawmakers discriminated against Latinos and other minorities when they approved new congressional and state legislative districts that increased the power of White voters.
2022 will be tough, but we have reasons to be hopeful
Y’all with a lot of hard work — and some good luck -- we can pull off good midterms
3 Reasons Why 2022 Won’t Be 2010
1. Democrats Will Have So Much To Run On – With the passage of the infrastructure and reconciliation bill imminent, in 2022 Democrats will be able to argue, forcefully, that they have taken extraordinary steps to get America and the world through COVID, secured the recovery, tackled climate change and advanced a broad agenda which will make America better able to compete and win in a more challenging 21st century global economy.
2. The GOP’s extremism will be easy for Dems to exploit – Many of us believed that if Trump was defeated in 2020 his brand of extremist politics would fade from the national scene. But over the past year we’ve seen this extremism spread far beyond Trump, and become now the dominant ideology of GOP. On issue after issue – COVID barbarism, climate denialism, refusing to support prudent investments in the future, eliminating Roe vs Wade and embracing vigilantism, attempting to crash the US economy, advancing measures to weaken our democracy and protecting white supremacists and insurrectionists – Republicans have made it very hard for those who may not to want Democratic in 2022 to choose them.
3. Democrats Have Been Turning Out in Very Large Numbers – In every election since 2016, Democrats have seen turnout hit the very top of what many thought achievable – in 2018, 2020 and it has continued in 2021 with very high performances in the GA runoff and the CA recall, two ‘special elections” where Democrats often underperform.
The January 6 Committee is Doing Great Work
Do you know what I hate almost as much as NPR and other “left wing” outlets ignoring good news? People whining that the 1/6 commission hasn’t paid off yet. As if it would be possible OR a good idea to do no leg work/research/interviewing at all. As if we want to live in a country where we just arrest people without due process. JFC
Anyway….
January 6 committee gets Meadows texts, emails with 'wide range' of people while attack was underway
Former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows provided the House select committee investigating the January 6 riot with text messages and emails that show he was "exchanging with a wide range of individuals while the attack was underway," according to a source with knowledge of the communications.
The messages on Meadows' personal cell phone and email account, which were voluntarily handed over without any claim of executive privilege, relate to "what Donald Trump was doing and not doing during the riot," the source added.
These communications offer a window into what people were texting to Meadows on January 6, what he was telling them about Trump in real time, and what the former President was doing for those hours while the Capitol was under attack and rioters were chanting "Hang Mike Pence," according to the source.
While a handful of Trump loyalists have defied the committee, the source familiar with the investigation said there are "many people every week coming in to testify and produce documents." In some instances, "multiple people a day," appear before the committee, the source added.
'Stop the Steal' rally organizer appears for deposition with January 6 committee and pledges to cooperate
"Stop the Steal" leader Ali Alexander, who helped organize the rally that preceded the Capitol attack, on Thursday appeared in front of the House select committee investigating January 6 and told reporters he will cooperate.
"I'm going to go in there and cooperate where I can, where I can't I'll invoke my constitutional rights. We've got tons of evidence for them," Alexander said before going into the closed-door deposition.
"We're going to go into the committee," Alexander said. "We've provided the committee with thousands of records, hundreds of pages.
Pence's former chief of staff cooperating with Jan. 6 committee
Marc Short, who was chief of staff to then-Vice President Mike Pence, is cooperating with the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, according to two people familiar with the panel's activities.
My Hometown Brings Unions to Starbucks!!
Let’s Go Buffalo!!
The total vote was 29 people — a handful of teenagers and minimum wage workers — voted for make a tiny union in one cafe.
But that was enough to make billionaire Howard Schultz stop what he was doing personally come to Buffalo to try and stop them. This guy was so terrified of a handful of kids in one shop in Western New York state unionizing that he flew his rich ass up to our piddly city to try and stop them. They sent board members. They had some rich lady cleaning bathrooms with the night crew (true story). But they failed. The union won.
And the fact that they failed and that he and other billionaires are so terrified of unions and young people organizing is very very good news.
We have power we didn’t even realize. And that is GREAT news
Good Virus News
More Than 8.37 Billion Shots Given
The biggest vaccination campaign in history is underway. More than 8.37 billion doses have been administered across 184 countries, according to data collected by Bloomberg. The latest rate was roughly 38.6 million doses a day.
In the U.S., 481 million doses have been given so far. An average 2.29 million doses per day were administered over the last week.
Huge Milestone
One year ago the first COVID19 phase III data was released. Since, more than 8 BILLION doses have been given around the world. I know there’s a lot to be exhausted, and frustrated and anxious about, but we need to celebrate the wins too. Getting a vaccine in 9 months was a massive win. Having access to vaccines is a massive privilege. Some of our kids being protected is a massive win. And because of it, we are not starting from step 1 when Omicron arrived. Today I’m so incredibly thankful for modern medicine.
New data shows GSK-Vir drug works against all Omicron mutations
British drugmaker GSK (GSK.L) said on Tuesday its antibody-based COVID-19 therapy with U.S. partner Vir Biotechnology (VIR.O) is effective against all mutations of the new Omicron coronavirus variant, citing new data from early-stage studies.
Israeli health chief says data shows booster works against Omicron
Israel’s health minister cited “room for optimism” in the fight against the emerging Omicron variant, saying people who have received two doses of the Pfizer vaccine and a booster are “most likely protected” against it.
“There is already room for optimism, and there are initial indications that those who are vaccinated with a vaccine still valid or with a booster will also be protected from this variant,” Nitzan Horowitz said Tuesday, the Jerusalem Post reported.
TFG is in trouble
New York attorney general subpoenas Trump for testimony in civil fraud investigation
The New York attorney general subpoenaed former President Donald Trump for his testimony as part of a civil fraud investigation into the Trump Organization, according to people familiar with the matter.
Letitia James, the New York attorney general, has set a deadline for the deposition by January 7, Trump's lawyer Ronald Fischetti told CNN.
The attorney general's office is investigating whether the Trump Organization manipulated the value of its properties, including golf courses, hotels and condo buildings. They are working with the Manhattan District Attorney's office on a parallel criminal investigation into the Trump Organization. The two investigations are separate, but some attorneys from James' office have been designated to work on the criminal investigation, which is ongoing.
but won’t he just ignore this? Well….
and this:
and this:
Boom.
Wise Words from Teri Kanefield on not succumbing to panic
Speaking of not panicking, remember around the time when TFG was sworn in and the far right kept winning in Europe and there were a million hot takes on how Europe was lost to the far right already? You remember that, right? Well this happened this week:
Germany’s new chancellor, Olaf Scholz, takes over
For the first time in nearly 16 years, Angela Merkel is not the chancellor of Germany. Her Social Democrat successor, Olaf Scholz, was sworn in around noon on Wednesday local time, after the Bundestag, the German parliament, voted him into office.
He took the oath without reference to God, which is optional.
Scholz’s path to becoming Europe’s most powerful leader has been fraught.
Since the election in September, party leaders have worked hard to present a united front with their coalition partners — the Greens and pro-business Free Democrats — as they hammered out an agreement for their four-year term of office.
After nearly 16 years of a conservative leadership defined by crisis management, Scholz faces high expectations to fulfill his government’s headline promise of “dare more progress.”
Suck it doom and gloomers. You aren’t smarter than us — just more annoying.
On The Lighter Side
Save Democracy
What can you do to save democracy?
Most important: DON'T LOSE HOPE. This is a giant and important fight for us but, win or lose, we keep fighting and voting and organizing and spreading truth and light. We never give up.
That is it for today.
Despite being super salty, I remain lucky and proud to be in this with you ✊🏾✊🏻💙💚💛💜🧡✊🏽✊🏻