The Patriot Post® · Democrats Are Not the Party of ‘Affordability’

As we move into the final stretch before this year’s midterm elections, both Democrats and Republicans have likely rehearsed their talking points so much they pop up in their dreams. Republicans will talk about the lower crime rates, the threat of socialism, and how the economy is being fixed. Democrats will talk about socialist ideals and the threat of AI. Their oft-repeated primary plank is that the GOP has raised prices because of the war in Iran, and that they universally promise that they will make the cost of living lower.

The receipts tell a different story.

Let’s start with Joe Biden. Arguably the most famous example of a Democrat who lightened everyone’s wallet, Biden’s tenure caused inflation to skyrocket. Injecting $2 trillion into a recovering economy was not a good idea. The consumer price index rose an average of 5% a year during his tenure, with cumulative inflation over those four years exceeding 21%. In contrast, under Donald Trump, the consumer price index rose an average of 1.9% a year in his first term, and 3.4% in his second.

Everyone complains about housing being too expensive, myself included. My generation has inherited a housing market that is virtually inaccessible without a hefty paycheck. That was the Left’s fault, too. Housing also went up 5% every year under the Biden administration, compared to 3% under Trump.

On a different point, let’s look at the most expensive states to live in America. Hawaii is number one. Yes, it’s a blue state, but obviously an important factor is that it’s an island in the middle of the Pacific. I’ll also remove Alaska from the equation because of similar supply chain difficulties. The next five most expensive states are Massachusetts, California, New York, Maryland, and New Jersey. The most expensive states outside the Northeast and the Pacific are Arizona and Colorado. Except for Alaska and Arizona (which finished 15th), every one of the top 15 most expensive states to live in is a blue state. That’s a very strong correlation that is more likely causation.

Gas prices are also a hot topic amongst the Democrats right now. The war in Iran, which they do not support, has caused shortages in oil supply worldwide. They don’t mention that dealing with a nation trying to build a nuclear weapon to use against us was important. Besides, oil prices are steadily dropping due to our blockade working to reopen supply lines. The most recent Democrat president intentionally restricted oil lines for no logical reason. When your last pick for president immediately cancels oil pipeline extensions and bans new offshore drilling, you shouldn’t be promising to lower gas prices.

In Trump’s second term, gas prices have averaged $3.43, though they are currently $4.43. That’s not great. I wish it were lower. But it’s still better than what we had two years ago, when adjusted for inflation, Biden oversaw an average gas price of $3.89 per gallon — hitting a high of $5.02 — with no war to speak of that threatened the major oil countries in the Middle East.

Even with the war, it’s not like the GOP’s leaders are not attempting to help prices go down. Just in the past two weeks, Trump has attempted to permit tariff-free beef imports, as well as attempt to ban exports of diesel to lower domestic prices. That was met with staunch opposition.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott declared a statewide disaster in response to gas prices and is allowing expanded use of dyed diesel, typically only used for farm equipment, and has raised the weight limit for truckloads.

In Georgia, Governor Brian Kemp suspended his state’s motor fuel tax for 30 days. Yes, it costs the government money, but he’s trying to keep his economy moving.

Leftists are so occupied with their socialist agenda that they ignore basic laws of supply and demand. Iran has obviously put a damper on oil prices, but Republicans understand that. Many have made efforts to compensate for the poor supply chain.

So, given the Republicans’ history of keeping taxes, inflation, and prices generally low versus the Democrats’ history of intentionally raising taxes, inflation, and prices, why would anyone believe the promises of affordability the Left continues to harp on during this midterm?