1. United States
2. Texas
3. Letter

Is it just me? Republicans, who ran on the cost of living, affordability, lowering all the expenses brought on by (they say) the Biden administration and every Democrat on the planet are now trying to run for re-election on the same issue. But now, let the gaslighting begin… Before, we were told that Democrats were the ones “gaslighting” voters by arguing that grocery prices were not surging. “We’re fed up with paying too much at the grocery store. We’re fed up paying too much for groceries. We’re fed up paying too much for rent. We’re fed up paying for utilities that are out of this world.” Mission accomplished. This GOP candidate won over a Democrat incumbent in 2024. Now, the same candidate is both arguing that prices are coming down, while acknowledging that grocery prices are still too high. “Grocery receipts are getting shorter, but the price keeps going up.” I’m not sure how to interpret this language except that we’re getting fewer items for more money, but that’s a good thing? Rock meet hard place. Republicans running for reelection are going to be required to use all their mesmerizing powers to keep their jobs. They will need to convince us that the very same issues, but now worse, that they ran on by assuring us was just a matter of electing a Republican to fix everything, are actually way better than before they took office. And they’ll have to do so while their guy, who will not tolerate anything less than complete adherence to every fabulist tale he spins, continues to spout economic nonsense. “That means prices are coming way down, and we’re doing a great job,” Trump said on Tuesday. “And remember that. Remember that for the midterms.” Oh, we will. Face it. The GOP party-in-power has unleashed our taxpayer pocketbook on the world. And our country. We have a burgeoning extraordinarily-funded police state that no one seems to be able to keep from killing people on the street. We have an economy-breaking war that our loopy president is trying to assure us we’re winning, while energy prices around the globe soar. We’re invading sovereign countries assuring them we know what’s best for them. We have a military that is slowly being purged of diversity and competence in favor of a frat boy vision of American might. Whose leadership demands more and more billions of our money to do so. And we have a president whose every decorating and gilding tendency is being acted upon. With little competence, not mention follow-through, but seemingly aways with a blank check for the job. Written on we the people’s account. This fiscal free-for-all is aided and abetted by a growing oligarchy that is successfully trying to remove every single impediment to a money-grubbing vision of society they believe should rule America. Meanwhile, where is the trickle down that has been promised to us? America is being bankrupted. Fiscally and morally. And the folks who are doing so haven’t a single solitary clue what it even means to have to shop for the food they eat. Remember that when they try and convince you they feel your pain. They may be causing it. But they sure don’t feel it.