President Joe Biden is opening a new line of attack against former President Donald Trump this week, flipping the script on the classic Reagan-era “Are you better off than you were four years ago?” question to remind voters of life during his predecessor’s tenure.
Sure, but the “four years ago” isn’t really about a specific day 4 years ago, it’s about the state of your life heading into the election. This isn’t going to be an ineffective messaging line for the next month and then switch over to being effective because enough days passed to move the reference point.
I had to look at the timeline on Wikipedia to even remember which month things really hit in different locations. By March 21, California was under a stay-at-home order, Florida was looking for alternatives to sending the sick home, and Ohio had shut down daycares and elderly care centers. It was kicking off. Also happy anniversary to Trump promoting Hydroxychloroquine.
Other notable events, 4 years plus 3 days ago Trump told Bob Woodward he was downplaying the seriousness of the virus because he didn’t want to create a panic. Bob Woodward then sat on that information for six months so he could put it in his book and make more money.
The pandemic lasted from early 2020 with a public health emergency lasting through into 2023. COVID itself has become a global endemic; similar to the flu.
The economic effects, the death toll. The social unrest. It was all only ramping up.
People stopped dying. That’s about the only way the situation has improved. But dead people are still dead and they’re not going to be coming back. Everything else has continued to degrade.
So yes. I am much worse off now than 4 years ago. Or any other time in 2020.
Sure, but the “four years ago” isn’t really about a specific day 4 years ago, it’s about the state of your life heading into the election. This isn’t going to be an ineffective messaging line for the next month and then switch over to being effective because enough days passed to move the reference point.
I had to look at the timeline on Wikipedia to even remember which month things really hit in different locations. By March 21, California was under a stay-at-home order, Florida was looking for alternatives to sending the sick home, and Ohio had shut down daycares and elderly care centers. It was kicking off. Also happy anniversary to Trump promoting Hydroxychloroquine.
Other notable events, 4 years plus 3 days ago Trump told Bob Woodward he was downplaying the seriousness of the virus because he didn’t want to create a panic. Bob Woodward then sat on that information for six months so he could put it in his book and make more money.
The pandemic lasted from early 2020 with a public health emergency lasting through into 2023. COVID itself has become a global endemic; similar to the flu.
The economic effects, the death toll. The social unrest. It was all only ramping up.
People stopped dying. That’s about the only way the situation has improved. But dead people are still dead and they’re not going to be coming back. Everything else has continued to degrade.
So yes. I am much worse off now than 4 years ago. Or any other time in 2020.
“Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?”