Why it's not 'Morning in America'

Home » Unlabelled » Why it's not 'Morning in America'

Why it's not 'Morning in America'

January 28, 2022

Stephen Collinson and Shelby Rose

Why it's not 'Morning in America'

Biden echoed former President Ronald Reagan in his joint address to Congress on April 28, 2021, in Washington.

In August 1984, President Ronald Reagan highlighted a resurgent economy and proclaimed during a reelection campaign he later won in a landslide that "America is on the move again."

On Thursday, President Joe Biden celebrated the best yearly GDP economic growth number — 5.7% — since 1984, when the Gipper was in the White House, which shows a strong rebound from the Covid-19 slump. But can he make the same case as Reagan? He's giving it a go.

"The GDP numbers for my first year show that we are finally building an American economy for the 21st century," Biden said Thursday, noting that the US had just outpaced China's economy for the first time in 20 years.

But it doesn't feel like America is on the move again -- even though Biden said it was in his first joint address to Congress last year. And if roaring economies translate into strong presidential approval ratings, why is Biden flirting with the perilous 40% threshold?

One problem is that prices rose alongside growth. Inflation is running at the highest levels since 1981. Global supply-chain crunches mean goods are hard to come by. If your car gets dinged, it can take weeks to repair because parts are scare. If you are living on the edge, even small increases in a weekly grocery bill are painful -- a fact the White House was slow to appreciate. And gasoline prices shot up before Christmas and are projected to do so again.

It can't be quantified by statistics. But there's a strong sense right now that things just aren't going well in the United States. People are exhausted and worried about their kids' education after Covid-19 school closures. The endless political battles over masks, vaccines and the 2020 election are draining. Manual workers are braving the Omicron surge and the white-collar crowd has been stuck at home for months. The dark and cold of winter in Northern states don't help either. Here's hoping for a long, hot carefree summer.

America's bitter polarization may also be to blame. Millions of Republican voters believe Trump's lies that he's the rightful president. And if viewers of conservative TV are told often enough that the country is on the verge of a communist economic takeover, some will believe it.

If the Omicron wave does disappear as quickly as it arrived and signals the beginning of the end of the pandemic, the national mood could turn, especially if inflation dips. But until then, Biden will be in a hole and unable to release a Stars and Stripes-draped political ad declaring, as Reagan did, "It's morning again, in America."

Subscribe to Meanwhile in America

The world and America

Russia says NATO's written answers didn't make the grade

Portugal's election could cause political chaos

Biden has invited Olaf Scholz to the White House

An unknown space object is blasting out radio signals

Meanwhile in America ... New York is bracing for 0 or 20 inches of snow

Sarah Palin went out for dinner again in Manhattan

'More optimistic' than he's ever been about the pandemic

Here's some good news for the weekend. The former head of the US Centers of Disease Control and Prevention says the United States is in the best shape ever to tackle the pandemic. While he doesn't know if another variant will come along and spoil everything, Dr. Tom Frieden told CNN the US has better capacity for testing, masks, vaccinations and treatment than ever before.

"I am more optimistic about the pandemic today than I have been since it was declared a pandemic nearly two years ago," Frieden said.

"We do need to hang on for just a few more weeks, until the Omicron flood recedes, so we don't overwhelm the hospitals, which are really stressed out," he added.

Underwater intrigue in the South China Sea

The US and China are in a race to the bottom … of the South China Sea.

Down in the depths is one of America's most advanced fighter jets, which crash-landed on the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier on Monday and fell overboard. The pilot of the $100 million F-35C fighter ejected.

Now the US Navy has the task of hauling the jet up to the surface in the hotly contested waters before China — which would love to reverse-engineer the plane's stealth technology if it gets there first. Beijing has plenty of submarines and ships in an area where it has vast territorial claims disputed by its neighbors.

As CNN's Brad Lendon reports, the US is expected to try to recover the plane, rather than try to blow it up with a torpedo or an explosive charge. But US salvage vessels are 10 to 15 days from reaching the crash site.

It's not the first time that an F-35 has needed to be rescued. In November, a British version crashed while taking off from the HMS Queen Elizabeth carrier in the Mediterranean Sea. It was recovered the following month amid fears that Russian intelligence might try to get a look at it.

Thanks for reading.

On Friday, US President Joe Biden travels to Pittsburgh to discuss supply chains and manufacturing. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko addresses the nation from Minsk.

On Saturday, former US President Donald Trump holds a rally in Conroe, Texas, near Houston. The UAE lifts travel restrictions on certain countries due to the coronavirus.

On Sunday, Portugal votes in a snap general election.