The economy is getting better, people still hate it

It's the economy, stupid. Once again, the economy is the biggest factor determining who people will vote for in the next election. Survey after survey shows that people in the United States are not exactly optimistic about the economy. But the reality is that the U.S. economy is strong and inflation, while still a problem, is getting better. But even if the economy is doing better, people are doing worse. There has never been such a wide gap between the health of the economy and people's attitudes towards it. Our economy is strong in many ways. Employers added nearly 200,000 jobs in November and the unemployment rate fell to 3.7%. Inflation fell from 9.1% to 3.2% last year, deftly managed by the Federal Reserve without triggering a recession. Gas prices are falling sharply and the Dow Jones Industrial Average has hit a record high. President Biden will be in Wisconsin this week to boast of Bidenomics, which, while effective, remains a political nuisance around his neck. Making people feel good about the economy will be difficult, but that is Biden's challenge if he hopes for a second term.