GOP’s McCarthy asks the wrong question about recent U.S. progress – By Steve Benen (MSNBC) / Sept 9, 2022
The question isn’t whether the United States is better off now than it was two years ago. The question is why Kevin McCarthy doesn’t know the answer.
It’s a phrase generally linked to Ronald Reagan: “Are you better off today than you were four years ago?” The Republican asked it the first time in 1980, as a way of making the case against then-President Jimmy Carter, and Reagan asked it again four years later, during his re-election bid.
Most voters answered the question the way Reagan wanted him to, and he won both races with ease. But in the process, as we’ve discussed, the GOP icon created a standard that comes up anew every four years, as the electorate is asked to consider whether the status quo marks an improvement over the recent past.
It’s also a standard that House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy seems eager to embrace, but in a different context.
About a month ago, during a debate over the Democrats’ ambitious reconciliation package, McCarthy took to the floor and asked a tweaked version of Reagan’s phrase: “Answer me this question: Is America better off today than they were two years ago?”
