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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[–] Mulligrubs@lemmy.world 5 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Our economy has been vigorously fucked by bOtH pArTiEs for over 50 years. (even Clinton, see NAFTA)

The Ds aren't "cleaning up messes" of their opponents, they're doing damage control for their tag-team mates.

If you sit at the table with Nazis...

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[–] RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world 5 points 1 month ago

“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.

[–] LodeMike@lemmy.today 4 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

They've been doing that since the 60s, right?

[–] gAlienLifeform@lemmy.world 4 points 2 months ago (8 children)

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.

Meanwhile, in reality (arc)

the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released its Household Food Security in the United States report, assessing that 13.7 percent of U.S. households were food insecure in 2024, marking the highest prevalence of U.S. food insecurity in nearly a decade.

Biden's "perhaps not firing on all cylinders" economy was crap for poor people. "But whatabout the Republicans" will get you 2-4 years in office to leave your constituency twisting in the wind while you tell them things are actually good, and then your campaigns will collapse just like Harris did and Republicans will win by default yet again.

If you really want to break that cycle, we need better policies and we need to communicate the fact that we understand that Biden's economy was crap. Arguing with the voters that it was actually pretty good is just a ticket out of office.

[–] Zombiepirate@lemmy.world 5 points 2 months ago

Agreed. In my opinion, the problem is that the Democrats are trying to be the party of both labor and wealth. They are financially beholden the very billionaires that are making life unaffordable for normal people.

Sure the Republicans are far worse in every respect, but the Democrats have no incentive to make the economy work for people like us when it is easier to chase billionaire donors for campaign funds. Once they're captured by capital they don't want to bite the hand that feeds them, so that means wealthy interests are far overrepresented in the halls of power.

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[–] dantheclamman@lemmy.world 4 points 1 month ago (1 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.

[–] fishy@lemmy.today 3 points 1 month ago (3 children)

This is why a large part of me wishes you had to pass some kind of baseline intelligence test to vote. I regularly go on nextdoor to discuss local politics and basically every argument with a conservative feels like arguing with a mentally handicapped person. They only read headlines and aren't smart enough to question their sources of information.

Recently they were up in arms because the conservative paper claimed the mayor's office wasn't being transparent. Actually reading the article it says the reporter requested an interview on the spot and halfway through it an assistant told the mayor they need to move on. Not even noteworthy but it was enough to get the trolls riled up

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[–] SnarkoPolo@lemmy.world 4 points 1 month ago

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

[–] sartalon@lemmy.world 4 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I still can't decide if the Republican leadership is so hellbent on grift, that they don't care about the overall economic effects, or they really are just that stupid.

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[–] aesthelete@lemmy.world 3 points 2 months ago

It would help if the media stopped assisting them with their campaigns every cycle.

[–] lemming741@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago

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

[–] newton@feddit.online 2 points 2 months ago

They cant think

[–] artyom@piefed.social 2 points 2 months ago

Depends on what you mean by "the economy". Generally things like the stock market improve. However the stock market is not necessarily reflective of the economic experience of the typical American, and its usually because they deregulate and fuck up all kinds of other shit in the process.

[–] anon_8675309@lemmy.world 2 points 2 months ago

Republican voters don’t give a shit.

[–] Gammelfisch@lemmy.world 2 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

The Government of Putin voters never will, because they're either greedy or plain dumb. The comment below mine, from "jtrek" is spot on, especially his 4th remark.

[–] WanderWisley@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

They will realize about 50 years to late…

[–] qarbone@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

Republicans will have a place in America as long as people are racist. Every other aspect just serves to let some white people feel superior.

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