Michael Whatley, the current chair of the Republican National Committee, appeared on Fox News late last week to summarize what he sees as the foundational question of the 2024 presidential race: The RNC chief obviously had some grammatical trouble toward the end of the quote, but putting that aside, Whatley peddled a familiar refrain. Republicans are heavily invested in the idea that President Joe Biden will lose for the simple reason that the country was better off four years ago.
The New York Times’ Paul Krugman explained in a recent column that the Reagan-era “Are you better off than you were four years ago?” question is “almost ludicrously favorable to President Biden.” Krugman’s list, of course, was just a sampling. As we’ve discussed, there are plenty of other related data points: The nation’s uninsured rate improved under Biden. The supply-chain challenges improved under Biden. The cost of many prescription drugs improved under Biden.