Letters

I enjoy literary fiction as much as the next person, but I am not a fan of political fiction.

The narrative being spun by Republicans is a fiction and a fraud on the American people. MAGA Republicans scream louder than anyone else and make it hard for the American people to hear anything else other than the toxic noise they generate to fuel the rage that keeps them in power.

In reality, Joe Biden has been an exceptional president for the environment, civil rights, foreign policy and the economy.

Inflation is at its lowest levels since March 2021. Wages are rising faster than prices.

Job creation is at a historic high, and unemployment at a 50-year low. 2021 and 2022 saw the two strongest years of job growth in history. Since Biden took office, over 13 million jobs have been created — including 750,000 manufacturing jobs — and a record number of small businesses have been started. Biden’s 13.2 million jobs is almost seven times as many jobs as were created in the 16 years of the last three Republican presidencies combined, and millions more than under any one alone. Of the 49 million jobs created between 1989 and the end of the Cold War, 47 million of those, or 96 percent, were created under Democratic presidents.

Since Biden took office, Black Americans and Hispanic Americans have near record-low unemployment rates, and people with disabilities are experiencing record-low unemployment. Household energy costs are down. Gas prices are coming down. Rents are beginning to drop from pandemic highs. Millions of Americans are saving $800 per year on health insurance.

Biden’s infrastructure bill has provided investments in all 50 states, D.C., and throughout tribal nations. (Of course, in typical hypocritical fashion, Republican leaders who voted against the infrastructure bill are now trying to claim credit for the benefits accruing to their constituents.) Over 16 million households now receive lower-cost or free high-speed internet through Biden’s affordable connectivity program.

What these facts tell us is that in the past 30 years, a forward-looking Democratic Party has repeatedly seen strong economic growth on its watch, while Republican presidents have overseen three consecutive recessions. The GOP’s economic track record over the past 30 years has been among the worst in the history of the United States.

In summary, here’s what the Republicans don’t want you to know: Democrats stand for growth, lower deficits and American progress, while Republicans for many years have stood for recession, higher deficits and American decline.

Feelings are not facts. Grievance is no basis for public policy. And power for power’s sake is not public service.

Only one political party cares about the welfare of all Americans. And that’s no tall tale.

Andrea Klausner

Vice-Chair

Southampton Democratic Party