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Trump’s Iran War brings affordability to the fore

Written on April 29, 2026 by in Democratic Messaging, Democratic vs. Republican Presidents

Gas prices causing election havoc

For Donald Trump and the Republicans, the political problem right now is sticky. It’s “affordability”, the new buzzword that takes the place of the less personal-sounding “inflation”.

The same issue that powered Trump’s 2024 campaign is now moving in the wrong direction—and voters are noticing. A new Reuters/Ipsos poll finds 77% of Americans blame Trump for rising gas prices, driven in large part by Trump’s Iran War and disruptions to global oil supply.

Gasoline prices well over $4 per gallon are only part of it. Energy shocks don’t stay contained—they ripple outward into food, transportation, and everyday goods. That broader anxiety is already showing up in more polling, where respondents say the economy is getting worse, and they blame Trump’s policies for these results. Moreover, all this is on top of inflation caused by Trump’s tariffs over the past year or more.

This affordability problem is cutting directly into Trump’s political standing. Multiple surveys now show his approval rating sinking into the 30s, with economic approval even weaker—just 31% approving of his handling of the economy and 27% on inflation. Moreover, this erosion in Trump’s standing is tied to a specific chain of events: a war of choice against Iran that has disrupted oil markets, pushed prices higher, and left Trump without a clear exit.

That connection is what harms Trump and the Republicans politically, because voters can tie Trump’s tariffs and his Iran War to their gas and grocery bills. When oil spikes above $100 a barrel amid instability in the Strait of Hormuz, they experience it as higher prices at home. And when that happens, accountability can be immediate and unforgiving.

There’s even a deeper problem here for Trump heading into the midterms. In 2024, he specifically ran against the alleged high prices of the Biden administration (ignoring that, first, the temporary high inflation was due to fixing the COVID mess that Trump left in his first term, and second, that Biden steadily brought inflation down, leaving office with a lower inflation rate than what Trump brings us today. Now, with rising gas and food costs and a war driving economic uncertainty, that argument is coming back to bite him.

This is the risk that lingers. Not just a war overseas, or even declining approval numbers—but a steady, daily reminder at the gas pump and the grocery checkout line that Donald Trump’s central promise of the last election isn’t being met.

Photo by A Siegel, used under Creative Commons license. https://is.gd/5gvmGq

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Don’t fall for the Republican shock and awe

Written on January 12, 2023 by in Democratic Messaging, Media Watch, Republican Messaging

GOP House Speaker battle looked like this

Republicans don’t know how to govern effectively, but they do know how to grab the media spotlight. This was demonstrated during the recent Republican battle for U.S. House Speaker. After narrowly winning the House majority in the 2022 midterm elections, the GOP’s first task in the new year was to elect a Speaker. They failed miserably at this job, requiring a historic 15 votes before finally electing Kevin McCarthy.

But what seemed to get everyone’s attention were the 20 or so Republican House representatives-elect, many of whom are members of the so-called “Freedom Caucus,” who battled against McCarthy’s speakership, and at least one who fought on McCarthy’s side. The members who seemed to be on camera or in front of microphones all the time especially included Marjorie Taylor Greene and Matt Gaetz. Others on hand to a slightly lesser extent were familiar names such as Lauren Boebert and Jim (“Gym”) Jordan, so nicknamed because of his alleged involvement in a sexual abuse scandal involving wrestlers at Ohio State University. We’re not going to mention these names again in this post. Such representatives are known more for being superficial blowhards who say outrageous things rather than for the often dull but crucial work of legislating.

In short order, the GOP House Speaker election became about Republican media stars rather than about policy and substance. Such camera-hogging tactics worked, as McCarthy reportedly had to make numerous concessions to these members in order to secure their votes. What we call the GOP Civil War, also known as Republicans in Disarray, was on full, ugly display. But we already saw how a media celebrity made it into the White House six years ago, and the disastrous results that followed. The last thing we should do is feed that shallow, destructive process again by focusing our full attention on those Republican media hustlers.

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Growing Twitter army touts Biden, Democratic accomplishments

Written on July 28, 2022 by in Democratic Messaging, Media Watch

Twitter activism is a click away

It’s no secret that Democratic Party has been slow to come up with a unifying theme for the 2022 midterm elections. We recently suggested that President Joe Biden, Congressman Eric Swalwell and others may have hit upon the unofficial theme “Freedom is on the Ballot” in November. That’s pretty good, and it should be spread far and wide. But the other part that is needed, especially when defending the last two years of Democrats in control of the White House and the U.S. House (control of the Senate is more tenuous with a 50-50 tie), is a strong recital of the Democrats’ record of accomplishments during this time.

Here’s where Twitter comes in. President Biden in particular has been very good about touting his administration’s achievements. For example, Biden is correctly taking credit for actions (such as releasing millions of barrels of oil from the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve) that have led to a summer of falling gasoline prices:

Likewise, Biden White House Chief of Staff Ronald Klain likes to get in on the action:

But in addition to these government officials, there is a growing army of citizens on Twitter who are spreading good news about President Biden’s and the Democrats’ accomplishments far and wide. Some of the prominent accounts in this Twitter army, including their Twitter page description and sample tweets, are:

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