Democrats' dismal midterm outlook

The Democrats' outlook for this year's midterms run from terrible to totally horrific. Gov. Phil Murphy, New Jersey's Democrat governor, insists that first graders in his state will be taught about gender fluidity and gender identity. The worst part is that parents can't opt their children out of those classes short of putting them in private or parochial schools.

Crossing parents is downright stupid. If you want to guarantee high turnout against you, piss off a parent. They'll show up with 10 of their neighbors. Teaching first graders about gender fluidity and identity guarantees voting booths filled all day long of upset parents.

Unfortunately for Democrats, that isn't the Democrats' only problem. The Democrats' other major problem is inflation. NPR explains in this article how inflation hits the middle- and working-class. This isn't surprising. The middle class and working poor get hit hardest because they're often living paycheck-to-paycheck. That's why economists call inflation the cruelest tax.

While no one likes paying more for haircuts or hamburgers, high inflation is especially painful for low-income families, whose spending is heavily weighted toward necessities such as gasoline and groceries, which have seen some of the largest price hikes. Gasoline prices have jumped 48% in the last year while grocery prices are up 10%.

These families have little fat in their household budgets to start with, so when inflation cuts into their limited spending power, something has to give. Take Laura Kemp, a widow in Muldrow, Okla., who says that her heating bill last month was $306, more than double the $125 she paid a year ago.

Each month, Joe Biden has touted the jobs report that his plan is working. If he repeats that daily, people won't believe him because their real-life experience is totally different. The only option left for Democrats is to change policies. Joe Manchin has been pointing Democrats in the right direction for months. They still aren't listening:

"It is a disservice to the American people to act as if inflation is a new phenomenon," Manchin said in a statement, taking a veiled swipe at the White House calling inflation a "Putin price hike" caused by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24.

"Hard earned wages and financial savings are disappearing faster every month as prices continue to climb, while the pain and frustration of spending more on everyday items lingers over us all, especially among those who can afford it the least," Manchin said. "Americans are seeing some of the largest increases in goods such as gas up 48%, beef up 16%, chicken and milk up 13%, and staples like coffee and eggs are up 11%."

The moderate Democrat, who can single-handedly dictate what legislation passes in the evenly divided Senate, added, "The United States of America is equipped to be energy independent from Russia and other terror-sponsoring countries while also working to fight global climate change and break our dependence on the critical mineral supply change from China."

If Democrats don't do well in this year's midterms, it will be because they didn't listen to Joe Manchin: