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PaperclipPerfector  1yr ago (text post)   25871 thread views

Culture War Roundup for the week of October 30, 2023

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  1. The sentiment isn't based on a snapshot. People know that not only are prices still going up, but they HAVE gone up a lot since 2021. All that inflation in 2021 and 2022 is still affecting sentiment. Memory of those supply shortages hasn't faded away either. And people do still remember the pre-pandemic times and remember that they were better. If this was 1984 when the memory of the stagflation of 1980 was in mind, it would seem great. But it isn't.

The notion that the negative sentiment is mostly holdover is one that other people have claimed, and it makes sense. The direction on economic sentiment is clearly upwards although it might take another year or more before people realize things have gotten better (assuming things stay on the current path). That said, as per my original post it's still strange how Republicans are so vastly more pessimistic about the economy than Democrats.

That said, as per my original post it's still strange how Republicans are so vastly more pessimistic about the economy than Democrats.

What's strange? There's been a partisan gap since Bush I, with the exception of the GFC when everyone thought the economy sucked. Republicans think Biden will screw it up, Democrats think he'll make it better.

I have a hunch that this phenomenon has always existed to some extent, although I'd bet that increasing negative partisanship has made it worse. If you have some data on it going back in time, I'd love to see it. I haven't seen a lot of people talking about this effect.

Also, a lot of people in this and the previous thread very much did not thing it was obvious, basically implying I was a Democratic party operative for mentioning it. They were adamant that the national statistics were fraudulent, and, if anything, that liberals must be the delusional ones for not thinking the economy is currently in a disastrous state.

I have a hunch that this phenomenon has always existed to some extent

It didn't exist during the Clinton years, for some reason, although it probably did at the tail end of Reagan (I don't have data further back).

basically implying I was a Democratic party operative for mentioning it

That's probably mostly priors.

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