WASHINGTON TIMES: DAVID BOSSIE: ‘Bidenomics’ is synonymous with a nation in decline

If “Bidenomics” is the future, we’re all in big trouble. As our tone-deaf president stumbles around the country attempting to convince people that his economic policy hasn’t been a complete failure, hardworking American taxpayers beg to differ.

The reality is that in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, people are feeling exhausted, depressed and anxious — and this bleak outlook is inextricably linked to President Biden’s disastrous policies and warped vision for America.

Allowing Mr. Biden and his allies on the radical left to strong-arm our country into a dysfunctional Western European-style social democracy would set us up for a dark future of sluggish economic growth and hopelessness for our children and grandchildren.

One of the reasons America became the envy of the world is that our free market economic system gives anyone willing to work hard an opportunity to get ahead and do better than their parents and grandparents before them. But for millions upon millions, this feeling of optimism is slipping away because of Mr. Biden.

It’s absolutely imperative that the next president of the United States reestablish the promise that America’s best days are yet to come. We must not allow Mr. Biden’s false god of economic malaise to penetrate the American psyche.

Mr. Biden’s dream of an all-controlling and abusive executive branch, along with high taxes and overregulation, is wrecking the American dream. Mr. Biden is seeking to eliminate the notion of American exceptionalism brick by brick, just like his old boss, former President Barack Obama.

This destructive mindset cannot become the new normal. As Mr. Biden mumbles through sleepy campaign events trying to put lipstick on a pig, Americans see gasoline prices still up $1.18 a gallon since former President Donald Trump left office. For the average worker filling their 15-gallon gas tank twice a week for a year, that amounts to a new $1,800 tax, courtesy of Mr. Biden’s inflation and his left-wing energy agenda.

And at the supermarket, the impact of Mr. Biden’s costly economic vision for America is even worse. For millions of Americans, it feels like what you used to get at the grocery store for $200 now costs $250 or more. According to a recent report from ABC News, food prices “continued to accelerate faster than overall inflation, rising 5.7% in June compared to a year ago.”

These are not good times we’re living in.

Our country is at an inflection point, and voters are clearly concerned. Only 38% of Americans approve of the way Mr. Biden is handling economic issues, while 58% disapprove.

Even more depressing is that 66% think economic conditions in America are getting worse compared with 27% who think things are getting better economically, according to Gallup.

It should come as no surprise that 67% of Americans think our country is on the wrong track under Mr. Biden, compared with 23% who think we’re heading in the right direction.

Adding insult to injury, a recent report found that 57% of consumers are living from paycheck to paycheck. Under Mr. Biden, planning for the future is simply a nonstarter at too many kitchen tables.

A family living under these stressful conditions can’t save for vacations or college, and retirement isn’t part of the equation — all because of the policies that have been coming out of the Biden White House for nearly three years.

Despite not having a mandate, Mr. Biden came to office yearning to govern like President Franklin D. Roosevelt, complete with a massive expansion of government and an irresponsible multitrillion-dollar increase in federal spending.

This arrogance brought the American middle class years of inflation-fueled economic pain and high interest rates. Had Mr. Trump been reelected, our economy would have been allowed to bounce back on its own without all the crazy spending, overtaxing and regulation.

Elections do indeed have consequences. Mr. Biden, a weak and incompetent leader, enacted the economic agenda of the radical left instead of doing what was best for America, and we’re all still literally paying the price.

Our beloved constitutional republic is on the ropes because Mr. Biden and his agenda failed us at a moment when we needed strong leadership and principled conservative governance. Bidenomics is synonymous with a country in decline. Let’s reject it and strive to be exceptional again.

• David N. Bossie is president of Citizens United and served as deputy campaign manager for Donald J. Trump for President.