With Sept. CPI Report, Biden Gives Dems Oct. Surprise

Every election cycle you can expect one party to give the other an October surprise in an effort to change the minds of voters.

This year President Biden gave his own party an October surprise, in the form of the September Consumer Price Index report — inflation at the consumer level. He clearly didn’t expect it to be as bad as it was.

“Every single Democrat voted for the Inflation Reduction Act,” he tweeted Monday. “Every single Republican voted against it.”

But Thursday morning brought the October Surprise along with it — the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) September inflation report.

Consumers’ Research reported: “BREAKING: Inflation still hasn’t peaked — the Consumer Price Index (CPI) just came in higher than expectations.”

They added, “Inflation is up 300% higher than expected, month over month.”

But as CNN’s Ryan Struyk pointed out, it’s even worse when you look at individual items. CNN you may ask? It’s OK. He’s a west Michigan boy and a Calvin University grad.

“Annual inflation via BLS just out:” Struyk reported, and listed the numbers.

• 42.9% airline fares
• 33.1% utility gas
• 30.5% eggs
• 18.2% gasoline
• 17.2% chicken
• 15.7% coffee
• 15.2% milk
• 14.7% bread
• 10.1% furniture
• 9.2% vegetables
• 8.2% all items
• 8.2% fruit
• 8.1% ham
• 7.6% women apparel
• 7.2% used cars
• 6.7% rent
• 3.7% men apparel

Whoa! Eggs up more than 30% from a year ago? Goodbye ham and eggs; hello oatmeal!

The president tried to put a happy face on the report.

“Americans are squeezed by the cost of living: that’s been true for years, and they didn’t need today’s report to tell them that,” Biden tweeted.

Well, actually, Americans haven’t been squeezed “for years.” It’s been more like about 20 months.

He continued, “It’s a key reason I ran for president. Working to give middle class families some breathing room in dealing with their costs is critical.”

He brought the report up again during an appearance in Los Angeles yesterday.

“Today’s report shows, though, some progress. Overall, inflation was 2% over the last three months. That’s down from 11% over the prior three months. And that’s progress,” he said.
“But a lot of it is the result of getting the cost of living at the gas pump down by more — now even in California now — by more than a dollar nationally and — since the start of summer. And there’s a big difference for working folks.”

He lowered fuel prices slightly, mainly by draining strategic oil reserves to record low levels.

At a press gaggle afterwards, and as Biden left an eatery called Tacos1986, he was barraged with a hard-hitting question.

“What did you order, Mr. President?” a reporter asked.

“Chicken quesadilla,” he answered.

As is par for the course, Biden has been telling whopper after whopper all week, but there was one thing he said that had the ring of truth to it.

“If Republicans win, inflation’s going to get worse,” he said during his Los Angeles appearance. “It’s that simple.”

That’s probably accurate with knucklehead bills like the misnamed Inflation Reduction Act he signed into law. And his decision to throw away the gift of America’s energy independence he’d been given is an even bigger factor.

But Biden’s statement was only half-true. What he failed to mention was that if Democrats maintain control of Congress, the economy will get even worse — much worse — with no checks on the spending.

And the compliant press will let him get away with it.

What flavor ice cream did you get, Mr. President?