this post was submitted on 18 May 2026
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Will 2026 finally be the year when a critical mass of Americans wakes up and realizes that Republicans always screw up the economy?

Donald Trump inherited an economy from Joe Biden that was perhaps not firing on all cylinders but was in pretty good shape all the same.

For the third straight time, a Democratic president handed a Republican president an economy that was at the least pretty good, and at most (Bill Clinton) really humming along very nicely. And, for the third straight time, the Republican has made things worse. Which also means that Democratic presidents have to clean up messes left by their GOP predecessors.

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[–] Furbag@pawb.social 26 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I've been waiting 20+ years for Republicans to wake up. They will never wake up. So many uncrossable lines have been crossed and yet they still maintain their momentum and people fall over themselves to vote for them in elections.

The problem is twofold:

  1. Most people are chronically unaware or ignorant of who represents them. Even terminally online political junkies often don't do any research into the candidates they vote for, and they don't follow up on whether or not their campaign promises were fulfilled. They lock in and vote R all the way down the ballot. To be completely fair™ and balanced™ - Democrats are also guilty of this and will happily vote for the D all the way down the ballot which is how we end up with progressive candidates running 3rd party in primaries losing to DINO incumbents.

  2. There is too much disconnect between which parties in government are responsible for which policies. Many people believe the president has far more power than they actually do. In reality, outside of executive orders and appointing SCOTUS judges, the largest political impact a president has is to be a veto on legs. Congress are the ones who truly hold the power, but because you are represented by one U.S. house representative for your district and two senators for your state, it's easy for people to think that their vote for those seats, win or lose, has little impact in shaping national policy. But even when their party has a majority (albeit slim), Republicans rarely draft any kind of legislation that is aimed to help their constituents or fulfill their campaign promises. People never check their reps voting records to see that they barely show up for their jobs, and that when they do, it's usually to cast a deciding vote against something that would help their constituents tremendously if passed. It all circles back around to people not bothering to do research or follow up with their votes in any way.

Voting to a lot of people is a team sport, and if their team is winning then all is right with the world. The bad things are happening because the others caused it, or are preventing it from being fixed. It can never be because they made a bad decision and voted in someone terrible into office. It's always someone else's fault. If good things are happening, it's because they made the right decision all along and they are succeeding in spite of opposition - no need to even bother checking if the guy who represents you voted in favor of the good thing or not!

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[–] A_Union_of_Kobolds@lemmy.world 135 points 4 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (2 children)

Republicans dont care about the economy, they care about their wallets. They will keep voting for any red tie that makes them pay one penny fewer in April and call anyone who disagrees foolish.

I can't stand these people and im fuckin drowning in them

[–] Steve@startrek.website 31 points 4 days ago (1 children)

All the ones I’ve met that still support the current government only care about hurting queers.

[–] architect@thelemmy.club 14 points 4 days ago (1 children)

The ones I know say they hate all of this but a Dem would be worse so…

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[–] Gigasser@lemmy.world 14 points 3 days ago (2 children)

What will likely happen is that when we finally get a Democrat in next election, all the bad shit Trump caused will just be blamed on the Democrats who just got into office.

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[–] jtrek@startrek.website 66 points 4 days ago (5 children)

They won't.

Many of them are stupid. Many are poorly informed.

But many of them are operating with stupid axioms. They would rather suffer and die personally if it meant those people got it worse.

If you offered free health care, guns, and hamburgers to everyone but it meant that black people got it too, a lot of Americans would say no

The Confederacy should have been burned to the ground, its leaders and supporters hanged and their bodies left to rot in the sun.

[–] falynns@lemmy.world 15 points 4 days ago (6 children)

Amen. Instead they were coddled, allowed to put up statues (of their loss lmao), and left to fester.

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[–] lemming741@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago

I think Republicans define "the economy" as the stock market, even the temporarily embarrassed millionaires.

[–] CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world 72 points 4 days ago (3 children)

I think even if this was on billboards and schools started to teach this basic fact, it would take decades for it to finally sink in.

I cannot tell you how many "non political" people tend to believe it, too. I could see dumbass cult members parroting nonsense talking points about how magical Republicans are on the economy, but the fact that people that barely pay attention believe it is just exhausting.

Far too many idiots think: "the government should be run like a business, and Republicans bend over the hardest for business, therefore we should put a Republican in as a President-as-CEO, preferably someone also from the world of business".

It's all so very fucking stupid, starting with the very premise...

[–] spaghettiwestern@sh.itjust.works 24 points 4 days ago (19 children)

In the presence of continued propaganda from the GQP and the duplicity of the Fourth Estate supporting and distributing that propaganda I don't think it will ever sink in.

Oligarch owned mainstream news providers have become Republican disinformation tools - slightly veiled versions of Fox News held to no standard at all. Facts have little chance against widespread lies repeated constantly almost everywhere.

[–] CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world 18 points 4 days ago

Hell, even before Faux came along, the mainstream media was and is embarrassingly skewed to the right.

But that was not enough for the Bircher types. They resented that something like Watergate was allowed to bring down their Nixon. They needed outlets that were ridiculously, cartoonishly even, right wing. And they had the balls to call them "fair and balanced".

The funniest thing is when you see some Bircher bitching about how Faux is "woke" or something unhinged like that.

I mean, Network skewered the corporate capture of news quite well, and that was 50 years ago.

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[–] brygphilomena@lemmy.dbzer0.com 13 points 4 days ago (2 children)

Republicucks always said they were fiscally conservative. It's always been what they touted as a defining characteristic when you took idealogy tests.

Turns out, that was all lip service. At least for the last few decades.

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[–] Azal@pawb.social 36 points 3 days ago (3 children)

"Will 2026 finally be the year when a critical mass of Americans wakes up and realizes that Republicans always screw up the economy?"

I live in a red state.

LOL. LMAO even.

They WILL vote against their interests as long as the R is next to the name.

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[–] drunkpostdisaster@lemmy.world 8 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (3 children)

We've known. But liberal purity politics got us trump anyway. But at least some first world brat can pat themselves on the back and say they didn't support a genocide by voting for a candidate that would not have declare war on Iran. Real good guys, I'll be sure to say thanks as we are all hauled off to a death camp

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[–] ElJefe@lemmy.ca 49 points 4 days ago (1 children)

The worst part is that this time the effects are affecting everyone in the world. Fuck you trump. You fat cunt 🖕

[–] Zannsolo@lemmy.world 14 points 4 days ago (1 children)

It affects the whole world each time.

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[–] kylie_kraft@lemmy.world 44 points 4 days ago (1 children)

every 4-8 years. then they forget in 2.

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[–] ZILtoid1991@lemmy.world 17 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Conservatism heavily relies on lifestyle marketing. You're not voting for promises, but for a lifestyle.

[–] FistingEnthusiast@lemmy.world 7 points 3 days ago (1 children)
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[–] Thebeardedsinglemalt@lemmy.world 10 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Not saying it was all Clinton, but Bush inherited a great economy, which he nuked by deregulating Wall Street.

Obama inherited that, did all the best to right the ship.

The orange kid-fucker tried taking credit for the state of the economy within months, and got laughed at. his shitty policies and robbing the nation let the economy slip but his complete bumblefuck of COVID lead to another crash

Biden inherited that, did whatever he could but the reds lead by that ancient fuck mitch outright said they would block any and all meaningful legislation just to make him look bad.

orange rapist somehow sleezed his way back in and is now on a blatant power grab, openly embezzling money, and the economy is 1 bad day away from a total collapse...which I am almost expecting.

Why don't right leaning people see this? Because anyone over 40 joyously watches focks nooz, oann and all those other blatant propaganda outlets while the rest listen to blowrogan and other right-winger propaganda podcasts (usually dark-funded by Russia, Israel, etc).

[–] Pacattack57@lemmy.world 4 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Bush had a lot of other major issues that affected the economy. Mainly being a puppet for his father and the other cronies obsessed with oil in the Middle East. As usual Americas obsession with the Middle East is both hindering and actively destroying us.

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[–] ceenote@lemmy.world 39 points 4 days ago (2 children)

We've seen Republicans wreck the Clinton economy and the Obama economy, both of which were very good. The one-term Biden economy wasn't sturdy enough yet to withstand their bullshit as well.

[–] homes@piefed.world 31 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

Plus, it was so devastated by Trump and Covid, that the best Biden could do was save it from absolute and utter disaster.

Which he actually did manage to do

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[–] bigbangdangler@reddthat.com 29 points 4 days ago (2 children)

It's not even the wrecking of the economy that really gets to me about this latest Republican administration. That's a pattern for sure, but this admin grifts right off the top, in plain sight. The Trump phones, the ballrooms, the sweetheart deals for friends, the IRS decision that puts taxpayer funds directly into the President's pocket.

I can't think of another admin that has so openly stolen from US citizens.

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[–] NotASharkInAManSuit@lemmy.world 16 points 3 days ago

“When will Romans learn the truth? Caesar is…”

“When will Russians learn the truth? The Aristocracy is…”

“When will Germans learn the truth? The nazi party is…”

Going by history, the answer is, if ever, at the end.

[–] Iusedtobeanalien@lemmy.world 18 points 4 days ago (4 children)

Biden had the post COVID and global inflation crises to deal with, every nation suffered the same, some more than others, the US less than most. He didn't do too bad.

Trump doesn't give a rats ass about the economy, his entire purpose was to enrich himself and his friends.

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[–] Soulphite@reddthat.com 19 points 4 days ago

The fact that they'd rather have a convicted felon pedophile in office promising to detain/deprive other humans of basic needs and deport them from the country with no due process for the heinous crime of being here illegally, over a woman... speaks volumes.

Racism/misogyny/bigotry are top priority.

[–] devolution@lemmy.world 20 points 4 days ago

They won't.

[–] FistingEnthusiast@lemmy.world 13 points 3 days ago

You're making the mistake of believing them when they use "good economic management" as the reason behind their vote

It's a lie

They don't really care about the economy.

"The Economy" is lofty, worthy, and who could argue against someone who is for a stronger economy?

They will vote republican because republicans don't just allow their hate and ignorance, they tell them that they are righteous for it

Not one of them could tell you what GDP means, or how fiscal policy affects inflation, but they can tell you exactly who is on the long list of people they hate and fear

[–] hanrahan@slrpnk.net 10 points 3 days ago

And, for the third straight time, the Republican has made things worse.

this completely misunderstands their popularity in the first place.

They're alright with that along as its worse to brown people, gays, trans etc who after all are causing all this /,s

that the rich hucksters make away with the bank is a price they're prepared to pay as they put a maga hat on face full of shitty teeth because they can't afford decent dental care.

[–] Blue_Morpho@lemmy.world 22 points 4 days ago

No, because the media is controlled by Republicans.

[–] thorhop@sopuli.xyz 17 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (3 children)

Every damn time the Democrats take over they decrease the deficit. Then when Republicans take over, they increase the deficit. Then, come the generals again, the Republicans blame the Democrats for the deficit - every 👏 damn 👏 time 👏 - and their voters still swallow it. This is because of several reasons:

  1. Voter turnout has been historically low the past decades
  2. The Democrats take "the moral high ground" and avoid pressing issues
  3. The Republicans go low and lie their asses off
  4. The Democrats - AGAIN - won't press them

The progressives need to dump the moral high ground. They need to say aloud what everyone knows: the Republicans have been ruining the economy for decades. They need to encourage voter turnout and to call the Republicans anti democratic because they want degenerate lowlifes who watch chud streamers to go against the teachings of Christ and turn the US to Russia #2.

The high road doesn't work and actively empowers the Republicans.

EDIT: fixed bad framing in regards to the deficit.

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[–] etherphon@piefed.world 17 points 4 days ago

They never gave a shit about this country, they just want to enrich themselves and their colleagues as much as possible. Just be honest about it. It hasn't changed in decades, but no one wants to admit it. It's absolutely mind boggling.

[–] UltraMagnus0001@lemmy.world 6 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Just read an article that says fox news has about 3x more viewership than CNN or NBC and the article was stating that CNN was up 11%.

[–] madcaesar@lemmy.world 1 points 2 days ago

I used to worry about this, but these days all of those are right wing trash owned by billionaires. There is marginal difference between them.

They all enabled Trump just to different degrees.

We need to get more people watching independent media online.

[–] BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.cafe 1 points 2 days ago

Carter inherited the terrible Nixon economy (following Ford), Clinton inherited the GWH Bush "malaise," Obama inherited the GW Bush Great Recession, and Biden inherited both a terrible Trump economy, but also an unmanaged deadly pandemic.

Every Democrat in modern times has inherited a terrible Republican economy, while ever Republican has inherited a relatively stable economy, and ruined it.

Republicans have also added far more to the national debt as well. It was estimated that Trump would be responsible for 55% of the National Debt, but that was before his war. It will undoubtedly be higher now.

[–] dantheclamman@lemmy.world 4 points 3 days ago (4 children)

The median voter will never realize. They will always forget and eventually get scammed again. I haven't made peace with this, and feel a kind of grief about it, but it's the truth. We are trapped in this cycle of idiocy.

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[–] SnarkoPolo@lemmy.world 4 points 3 days ago

A little late now. We're heading for Great Depression 2.0, and Republicans are in charge for the foreseeable future.

“When will ~~Americans~~ conservatives…”

More than half the country has already figured this out.

Also, it isn’t about the economy. If it were about the economy, the right would be losing their shit over the wild spending, the exploding deficit, massive spending on ICE and wasteful detention centers, stupid wars driving up energy costs and anything tangential to that, job losses, on and on and on…

It’s not about the economy. It’s about fascism, racism, nationalism, homophobia, misogyny, fake christianity, and all of the rest of the hotbutton issues the Right have effectively captured and turned into an ideology. As long as they have those things delivered to them by the truckload, everything else gets a pass.

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