Some Reality for the Midterms

I’m tired of arguments over whether Republicans or Democrats are better managers of the economy. The situation for the midterms is starker than that.

In this election cycle we are parallel to 2014, a mid-term election with an open Presidential election to follow. What did the Republican Party do with their power between 2014 and 2016? They shut down government with the “balanced budget amendment” nonsense (forgotten immediately under Trump) in order to cause national pain for the 2016 election. That’s no exaggeration-it was deliberate policy. The student loan crisis and the pain in “flyover” districts were direct results.

In 2022 we are at an economically delicate moment-trying to control inflation without a serious downturn. A Republican Congress will do exactly what they did last time-shut down government (this time in the name of inflation) to make sure things get worse for 2024. Given the risks of the moment, the consequences can be dire.

We can either elect a Congress interested in avoiding the worst, or we can elect a Congress dedicated to provoking a recession and making sure it lasts.

Originally published at http://ontheoutside.blog on October 13, 2022.