Letters to the Editor: Biden’s poll numbers in California drop while the economy thrives. What gives?
To the editor: There is an easy answer to Michael Hiltzik’s question “Why?” in regards to Biden getting no credit for economic gains.
It’s housing. Any economic gains to the average Angeleno are immediately devoured by the cost of buying or renting a home or apartment.
The American dream (American children expecting to do better than their parents) is dead.
It’s not President Biden’s fault; I think he’s doing as fine a job as he can. But the reality is that people who are struggling tend to blame the guy in power for their woes.
William Stout, Pasadena
..
To the editor: I was about to tear off and crumple up your front page article with yet another self-fulfilling poll about the president’s unpopularity when I noticed the headline on the reverse side: “Biden gets no credit for economic gains.”
Honestly, as grandma said, you can’t fight stupid. If folks choose to believe they’re worse off now than during the depths of the Great Recession (when there was round after round of layoffs at my workplace) or during the steep job losses of the COVID recession, then that’s just short-sighted, willful ignorance.
Consider: 34 straight months of job gains? 4.9% GDP growth? Rising wages and family net worth, with inflation and gas prices dropping? All that crying wolf over a recession that never came? Pah! Meaningless facts compared to a “feeling” that things are going to hell in a handbasket.
Tim Paine, Burbank
..
To the editor: On the reverse side of your print page bemoaning President Biden’s falling poll numbers in California, you have Hiltzik rightly pointing out everything that is going well in our economy, particularly for middle and lower income Americans.
Maybe your newspaper is not reporting accurately or sufficiently on our current positive economic reality if Californians are reporting such gloom and doom to pollsters.
If the media would focus on something other than hate and strife, those numbers might be different.
Melonie Magruder, North Hollywood
..
To the editor: Polls are not news. Actual election results are news. On Nov. 7, Democrats won several significant elections including that of governor in Kentucky, the state Legislature in Virginia and pro-Democrat positions on ballot measures in other states. They have been reported all over America.
On Nov. 8, the L.A. Times did not thoroughly report these major stories, which primarily occurred in the East and were news as of 6 p.m. yesterday. Instead the Times publishes a front-page story based on a poll with the slanted headline “Voter support for Biden plunges in state.” The same edition had a story about the weakness of political polls. Nevertheless, The Times features a story based on a poll and mostly ignored the real news of the day.
Michael H. Miller, Los Angeles
