{"id":601,"date":"2024-11-11T11:12:44","date_gmt":"2024-11-11T11:12:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/economic-growth-remained-strong-over-the-summer-boosting-harris-2\/"},"modified":"2024-11-11T11:12:44","modified_gmt":"2024-11-11T11:12:44","slug":"economic-growth-remained-strong-over-the-summer-boosting-harris-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/economic-growth-remained-strong-over-the-summer-boosting-harris-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Economic growth remained strong over the summer, boosting Harris"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p class>At Donald Trump\u2019s pseudo press conference at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msnbc.com\/opinion\/msnbc-opinion\/trump-memo-security-clearances-rcna177716\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mar-a-Lago<\/a>, at which he answered no questions, the former president took some time to argue that the economy shouldn\u2019t be seen as the nation\u2019s top issue in the 2024 presidential election.<\/p>\n<p class>\u201cSo I know we talk about inflation and the economy, but as to me, there\u2019s nothing, nothing, more important than the fabric of our country being destroyed,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/10\/29\/us\/politics\/trump-mar-a-lago-immigration.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the Republican said<\/a>, referring to his perceptions of illegal immigration. \u201cI think what\u2019s happening on the border is the single biggest issue, and I\u2019m seeing it more and more when I speak.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class>And why, pray tell, would the GOP nominee downplay the importance of the economy? Because there\u2019s been a lot of news lately about the United States\u2019 economy, and it\u2019s all been pretty great. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/10\/30\/business\/economy\/economy-gdp-report.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The New York Times reported<\/a>:<\/p>\n<section>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Consumers are spending. Inflation is cooling. And the U.S. economy looks as strong as ever. Gross domestic product, adjusted for inflation, expanded at a 2.8 percent annual rate in the third quarter, the Commerce Department said on Wednesday. That came close to the 3 percent growth rate in the second quarter and was the latest indication that the surprisingly resilient recovery from the pandemic recession remained on solid footing.<\/p>\n<p><small><span><\/span><\/small><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/section>\n<p class>The article quoted Joe Brusuelas, chief economist at the accounting and consulting firm RSM, who said the American economy right now \u201cis firing on nearly all cylinders.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class>That\u2019s not an uncommon assessment. The combination of healthy growth, low unemployment, shrinking inflation, record highs on Wall Street, and low gas prices has led quite a few observers to marvel at the health and resilience of the American economy.<\/p>\n<p class>In fact, it was earlier this month when The New York Times <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/10\/04\/business\/economy\/job-market-hiring-wage.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">reported<\/a> that the U.S. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msnbc.com\/rachel-maddow-show\/maddowblog\/bill-clintons-amazing-statistic-jobs-democrats-matters-rcna167977\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">job market<\/a> \u201cis as healthy as it has ever been\u201d \u2014 as in, in the history of the United States \u2014 and described recent economic growth as \u201crobust.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class>A few days later, The Washington Post\u2019s Heather Long explained <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/opinions\/2024\/10\/10\/economy-great-year-election\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">in a column<\/a> that by \u201cjust about every measure, the U.S. economy is in good shape. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/business\/2024\/09\/26\/economy-growth-inflation-gdp-consumers-federal-reserve\/5ab8b9ee-7c04-11ef-980d-341a84fdff8f_story.html?itid=lk_inline_manual_2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Growth is strong<\/a>. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/business\/2024\/10\/04\/september-jobs-unemployment-labor-market\/?itid=lk_inline_manual_2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Unemployment is low<\/a>. Inflation is <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/byHeatherLong\/status\/1839645950442136048\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">back down<\/a>. More important, many Americans are getting <a href=\"https:\/\/www.atlantafed.org\/chcs\/wage-growth-tracker\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">sizable pay raises<\/a>, and middle-class wealth <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/erikbryn\/status\/1841679081211043951\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">has surged<\/a> to record levels. We are living through one of the best economic years of many people\u2019s lifetimes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class>The same day, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2024\/10\/10\/harris-inflation-solid-economy-00183210\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Politico described<\/a> the status quo as \u201ca dream economy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class>The International Monetary Fund, meanwhile, marveled last week at the degree to which the U.S. economy is \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/economy\/global\/u-s-economy-again-leads-the-world-imf-says-39578275\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">pulling ahead of the world\u2019s advanced economies<\/a>.\u201d The Economist, a leading British publication, also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.economist.com\/special-report\/2024-10-19\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">recently described<\/a> the U.S. economy as \u201cthe envy of the world,\u201d adding that the American economy \u201chas left other rich countries in the dust.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class>Around this time four years ago, Trump <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/trump-economic-club-new-york-recovery-jobs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">told supporters<\/a> that Democratic policies would \u201cunleash an economic disaster of epic proportions\u201d and force the country \u201cinto depression.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class>Oops. No wonder he&#8217;d rather talk about immigration.<\/p>\n<p class>Of course, the larger question isn\u2019t just about the status quo, it\u2019s also about the future. The U.S. economy is strong now, but what about what\u2019s to come?<\/p>\n<p class>As it turns out, 23 Nobel Prize-winning economists <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2024\/10\/23\/nobel-prize-winning-economists-donald-trump-agenda-endorse-harris.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris<\/a> over Trump in a joint letter released last week, explaining that the Republican\u2019s agenda would \u201clead to higher prices, larger deficits, and greater inequality.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class>\u201cSimply put, Harris\u2019s policies will result in a stronger economic performance, with economic growth that is more robust, more sustainable, and more equitable,\u201d the letter added.<\/p>\n<p class>The Nobel laureates aren\u2019t alone. The Wall Street Journal <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/politics\/elections\/economists-say-inflation-deficits-will-be-higher-under-trump-than-harris-0365588e\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">also recently asked<\/a> economists a related question and found that most economists think \u201cinflation, interest rates and deficits would be higher\u201d under Trump\u2019s agenda than Harris\u2019 agenda.<\/p>\n<p class>\u201cLook, you may not like Donald Trump personally, but you\u2019ll like his policies a lot better than Kamala Harris\u2019,\u201d Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ajc.com\/politics\/the-alliance-between-kemp-and-trump-in-georgia-is-deepening\/IKWYUYFD65BNDBHFSBG4GYOOAU\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">recently said<\/a>. The Republican added that voters are simply \u201cmaking a business decision.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class><a href=\"https:\/\/www.msnbc.com\/rachel-maddow-show\/maddowblog\/economic-business-interests-isnt-2024-choice-obvious-rcna176174\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Given everything we now know<\/a>, those focused on the economy and business decisions should be rallying behind Harris as quickly as possible, hoping desperately that Trump loses. Indeed, The Washington Post\u2019s Catherine Rampell explained in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/opinions\/2024\/10\/29\/trump-economy-inflation-tariffs-fascism-2024\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">her latest column<\/a> that the Republican is \u201cthe wrong choice\u201d for Americans principally concerned about their pocketbook.<\/p>\n<p><em>This post updates our <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.msnbc.com\/rachel-maddow-show\/maddowblog\/robust-us-economy-leaving-rich-countries-dust-rcna177130\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>related earlier coverage<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-activity-map=\"expanded-byline-article-bottom\">\n<div data-testid=\"byline-thumbnail\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.msnbc.com\/author\/steve-benen-ncpn433601\"><picture data-testid=\"picture\"><source media=\"(min-width: 320px)\" ><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_focal-60x60,f_auto,q_auto:best\/newscms\/2021_37\/3505460\/steve-benen-msnbc_1.png\" alt height=\"48\" width=\"48\"><\/picture><\/a><\/div>\n<p><span data-testid=\"byline-name\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.msnbc.com\/author\/steve-benen-ncpn433601\">Steve Benen<\/a><\/span><span><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SteveBenen\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Steve Benen is a producer for &#8220;The Rachel Maddow Show,&#8221; the editor of\u00a0MaddowBlog\u00a0and an BLN political contributor. He&#8217;s also the bestselling author of &#8220;Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans&#8217; War on the Recent Past.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.msnbc.com\/rachel-maddow-show\/maddowblog\/economic-growth-remained-strong-summer-boosting-harris-rcna178007\" class=\"button purchase\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>At Donald Trump\u2019s pseudo press conference at Mar-a-Lago, at which he answered no questions, the former president took some time to argue that the economy shouldn\u2019t be seen as the nation\u2019s top issue in the 2024 presidential election. \u201cSo I know we talk about inflation and the economy, but as to me, there\u2019s nothing, nothing, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":602,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-601","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics","category-trump"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/601","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=601"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/601\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/602"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=601"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=601"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=601"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}