It’s no secret that Joe Biden desperately wants there not to be a “recession.”
It’s not so much what the economic facts are, but that label, heading into what already appears to be a dismal midterm election for the Democrat, could prove disastrous.
So he’s already been busy redefining the term, with his economic advisers “moving the goalposts” on the issue.
Now, it appears, the legacy media have joined Biden’s campaign.
In fact, it is Mollie Hemingway, of The Federalist, who pointed out legacy media player AP’s adoption of Biden’s agenda.
Soviet-style journalism https://t.co/s2qLogjkIq
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) July 27, 2022
A commentary at Twitchy pointed out the evidence on social media:
“One of the words the White House has been redefining lately is ‘recession.’ When reality isn’t conforming to the message you want to put out, simply change the definition of the inconvenient word! Even with an approval rating that might soon have Team Biden trying to add ‘dismal’ to the list of words they’re trying to redefine, the media have demonstrated a willingness to keep carrying the White House’s narrative water when it comes to the economy. The Associated Press was among media outlets showing how it’s done.”
By one common definition — the economy shrinking for consecutive quarters — the U.S. economy is on the cusp of a recession.
Yet that definition isn’t the one that counts. https://t.co/Bw1am1viQ4
— The Associated Press (@AP) July 26, 2022
The economy shrinking for two consecutive quarters would meet a longstanding assumption for when a recession has begun.
But with the U.S. adding 2.7 million jobs over those same six months, economists say that wouldn’t mean a recession has started.https://t.co/3GuHKvKSSZ
— The Associated Press (@AP) July 26, 2022
This is propaganda. The number of jobs isn’t the determining factor of a recession. If that were the case, the Soviet Union had a great economy with zero percent unemployment https://t.co/S7eDWHNRV6
— Christina Pushaw 🐊 🇺🇸 (@ChristinaPushaw) July 27, 2022
The problem for the Biden administration, and the legacy media outlets supporting it, is that ghastly 9.1% inflation that Biden’s economy has allowed.
Along with gasoline costing more than $5 a gallon, the inflation has hurt tens of millions of low to middle income families that are struggling just to pay food and utility costs.
Also, the Federal Reserve has launched a series of interest rate increases virtually guaranteed to bring the nation’s housing boom to a halt as people no longer will qualify for mortgages required for their dream homes.
The White House repeatedly has claimed the U.S. is not in a recession – or even near one – despite the economic facts.
And New York Times columnist Paul Krugman is insisting that the generally accept definition of a recession – two consecutive quarters of negative economic growth – be changed for the Biden administration.
One sarcastic social media commenter pointed out there appeared to be a new rule: “The can’t-say-recession-one-quarter-before-election rule.”
It was in a column at PJMedia where it earlier was pointed out that a recession isn’t always a recession.
That would be “When Presidentish Joe Biden says it ain’t, Jack,” the commentary said.
It was Axios that reported the maneuverings that are going on in Washington to try to put a positive spin on the Joe Biden economy.
Biden’s economic advisers, in advance of the Commerce Department’s estimate of growth during the second quarter coming out in days, are insisting that “even if the number turns out to show a second straight quarter of negative growth, the U.S. economy was almost certainly not in a recession in the first half of this year.”
The report explained, “The White House is seeking to preempt heightened recession chatter that would accompany two quarters of shrinking GDP.”
The issue is that an estimate from the Atlanta Fed is that quarter two numbers will show a “growth” of minus 1.6%.
At PJMedia, commentator Stephen Green turned blunt.
He noted the White House is trying to minimize the discussion about a recession by “changing the accepted definition.”
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