Stefanik picks the wrong fight, asks whether we were better off in 2020
By: Steve Benen (MSNBC. com)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
On March 6, 2020, Donald Trump visited the CDC headquarters in Atlanta. The appearance did not go especially well.
During the then-president's relatively brief stop, which came against a backdrop of a looming pandemic, he flubbed a variety of important details, attacked his critics, claimed he might have "a natural ability" to understand virology at a sophisticated level because his uncle taught at MIT, and suggested that people with Covid on a cruise ship docked near San Francisco should remain on the boat because if they came ashore, it might create a public-relations problem for his re-election campaign.
At the time, the United States was entering a deadly public health crisis that would ultimately kill 1 million Americans, overwhelm hospitals, and devastate the economy, all while our hapless amateur president — the guy who talked about injecting human beings with disinfectants during a White House briefing — failed spectacularly to respond effectively.
On March 6, 2024, exactly four years to the day after Trump's CDC trip, House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik spoke at a Capitol Hill press conference and struck a nostalgic note.
"As Ronald Reagan famously asked us, 'Are you better off today than you were four years ago?'" the New York congresswoman said. "The answer for hardworking Americans across the country is a resounding no."
I'm mindful of the fact that Stefanik, a Trump sycophant, is auditioning for the role of her party's vice presidential nominee, which has led her to make some deeply unfortunate comments of late.
But the idea that conditions in the United States got worse after Trump left the White House is demonstrably ridiculous.
As regular readers know, the nation's unemployment rate, for example, has dramatically improved, and for the first time in over a half-century, Americans have seen a jobless rate below 4% for two years. Economic growth has also improved, and the major stock market indexes have reached all-time highs.
When Trump left office, the pandemic was claiming the lives of thousands of Americans per day, and vaccines were not widely available to the public. Or put another way, the Covid crisis has gotten better under Biden, too.
The nation's uninsured rate got better under Biden. The supply-chain challenges got better under Biden. The cost of many prescription drugs got better under Biden. Infrastructure investments got better under Biden. The budget deficit got better under Biden. Crime rates got better under Biden. Domestic manufacturing got better under Biden. The United States' global standing soared after Biden replaced Trump in the White House.
These aren't opinions. They're just what happened.
And yet, Stefanik is basically trying to pull off a Jedi mind trick. "You don't remember what actually happened four years ago," she effectively says with a wave of her hand. "You'll believe the Republican version of recent history instead."
Complicating matters, the Jedi mind trick appears to be working.
"More than three years of distance from the daily onslaught has faded, changed — and in some cases, warped — Americans' memories of events that at the time felt searing," The New York Times reported this week. "Polling suggests voters' views on Mr. Trump's policies and his presidency have improved in the rearview mirror. In interviews, voters often have a hazy recall of one of the most tumultuous periods in modern politics."
I realize that in American politics, parties and candidates are routinely encouraged to be forward-looking, because voters tend to respond to messages about the future more than the past. "Look forward," politicians are told, "not backward."
But if the 2024 election is going to be decided in part on the "Are you better off today than you were four years ago?" question, Biden and his fellow Democrats should probably be prepared to remind the American electorate of just how catastrophically bad things were when Trump was in office, and how much better conditions are now.
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4 years ago I was in the middle of having covid, the first time, because of some incompetent jerk in the white house that chose to do nothing to prevent it's spread after knowing about it's danger for the previous 3 months, and then taking another 2+ months to act.
Thank goodness Red and I avoided COVID by following what the CDC instructed regardless of dumbass DeSantis who until he wanted to run for President was a supporter of vaccine. My, how dumb asses have changed.
Likewise here, while dozens of my friends and family members who for political (See MAGA) reasons minimalized the risks, flaunted all the recommended precautions and "Refused To Get The Jab" have died unnecessary from Covid and Covid related complications...
Four years ago, I was anticipating being closed down for 2 weeks, and was struggling to find masks for myself and my employees to wear at work. And a few weeks after that, I was mandated to shut down for about 6 weeks. Small business owners were promised financial relief, but the website to apply kept crashing because too many people were on it. Eventually, there was a streamlined application process, but the money was slow hitting my account. Oh, and unrelated, but I was expecting a big tax refund, but my accountant broke his arm and couldn't file my taxes, so that was delayed. Four years ago was the first, and hopefully only, time I ever applied for unemployment.
And then came the toilet paper shortages, disinfectant shortages, etc. There were never food shortages per se, but there were a lot of empty shelves, and I had to put some pretty weird stuff together to make a meal out of what was available. And the hoarding! I remember being some kind of pissed off when I went grocery shopping, couldn't find any red meat, and went through the checkout line to see that a woman the next aisle over had bought a cart full of red meat, all for herself.
Four years ago, people were killing security guards over being asked to wear masks inside businesses.
And the first day back at work, I was rear-ended on my way home, and my car was totalled. You wanna know how inventory at car dealerships looked 4 years ago? Thin.
?
Not that thin.
I kinda like that color, though.
Green is my favorite color. In all seriousness, glad you're ok.
Thanks. I took some Advil as a precaution when I got home, and felt a bit stiff around my shoulders and neck that night, but that was the worst of it for me.
In 2020 I was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer that originated in my appendix. From June 20 to Oct 22 I saw now one in person other than immediate family and medical folks. I spent 12 weeks in the hospital and saw my wife once in person. For Christmas in 22, my daughter rented a movie theater as my present, that was the only time that I was out of the house except for medical facilities. I have taken all the vaccines recommended on time. I want to avoid that 2?1/2 year experience again.
Four years ago the National Guard was enforcing a curfew, there were refrigerated trucks and mobile morgues in the park full of dead bodies, lines around the block just to get into the grocery store, and yet there was no toilet paper available. So thanks to Elise Stefanik for reminding us all just how badly it sucked in 2020!
4 years ago felt like we were all living in some weird sci fi movie
not sure if ive woken up yet....
Check the security "films" Iggy, lol...
... that wasn't me in that clip.
Another moronic mouthpiece for MAGA . That person (?) is a walking environmental catastrophe.
Compared to 4 years ago I'm doing fantastic, thanks for asking!
I'm making more money and have less stress than ever. The company I work for is expanding again and hiring Mrs Evil along with others this summer. We picked up 2 books of business last year and picking up 2 more this year to pay for the expansion and we added new locations and are looking at new services for some of our customers.
My mom has moved in with my sister so that stress is gone too.
nice!
Same here. We are technically both retired and collecting Social Security
But I offered to consult for one of my ex customers 7 or 8 years ago
and it just keeps growing and growing.
The last three years particularly.
I can't say that Biden is responsible for anything more than just not being or acting like Trump.
4 years of trump saw very high highs followed by some of the lowest lows and constant discontent of any Administration in memory.
Even now, all this talk of retaliation and retribution is simply derisiveness and rancor as he continues to break the mold of what we expect of a POTUS.
Sad.
I am facing the start of Social Security next month at 70. I don’t really feel like retiring yet:
- I was out of the office for 2 3/4 years due to Covid/cancer
- my office still needs me
- my wife is 10 years younger and I don’t want to sit at home all day without her
- my job is a large part of who I am, and I find it difficult to change my status
- I enjoy working with the younger workers around me, those on active duty and civilians like myself
- I have recognized the fact recently that I must start planning for retirement and am looking at 2 1/2 years from now.
Getting old is a challenge
My dad always said, "Getting old is not for the weak". He died 2 years and 3 weeks ago at 98 years old.
My dad is the same. He will turn 95 next month.
That's longevity. One of my relatives was mentioned in the L.A. Times last week. He is 96 years old and still practicing law. His client, a neurologist and geriatrician, wrote on Op/Ed piece and mentioned that my relative "has been my family lawyer for decades... recently responded to an emailed legal question with succinct and well-targeted legal advice, as he always has."