‘Those Don’t Bode Well’: MSNBC’s Donny Deutsch Frets About Voters’ Focus On Inflation, Gas Prices

‘Those Don’t Bode Well’: MSNBC’s Donny Deutsch Frets About Voters’ Focus On Inflation, Gas Prices

Harold Hutchison on October 28, 2022

MSNBC contributor Donny Deutsch decried voters’ concerns about inflation and gas prices on MSNBC Friday morning, calling it “unfortunate.”

“It was interesting that as [President Joe Biden]’s putting the facts out there, and he’s stating 700,000 manufacturing jobs and as he’s stating that GDP grew and as he’s stating that we have added more — you know, actually wages are going up more than inflation…unfortunately, when people go to the gas pumps, when people go to buy their bread, when people go to buy their butter, when you see that 70% of people say we’re on the wrong track, when you see that his approval rating is somewhere between 40, 41, 42%, those don’t bode well for the Democrats,” Deutsch told “Morning Joe” co-host Mika Brzezinski.

A gallon of gas costs an average of $3.76 according to AAA, up from $3.39 a year ago and $2.12 on Nov. 3, 2020. President Biden blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin and oil companies at various times for high energy prices, but experts have said Biden’s hostility to fossil fuel production spurred the increase in prices.

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“I feel that somehow his message, although the left brain is getting out there, it’s not registering. It doesn’t feel good out there,” Deutsch said. “And unfortunately, Obama’s message that you played in the last hour, where basically Democrats’ message is Roe v. Wade and fear of losing democracy, which are two pretty monstrous things to talk about, are not bucking what people feel as they go to the gas pumps, and that’s unfortunate.”

A Politico/MorningConsult poll showed only 35% of respondents approved of Biden’s handling of the economy, while a NBC News poll revealed 38% of respondents approved of Biden’s handling of the economy. Only 29% of respondents to a Fox News poll approved of Biden’s handling of inflation.

Experts, including former Obama administration official Steven Rattner, claim the spending in legislation like the American Rescue Plan Biden signed into law in March 2021, helped send inflation to levels not seen for decades. The CPI increased 8.2% year-to-year in September after rising by 8.3% in August, 8.6% in July, 9.1% in June and 8.5% in May.

“Most people — and I think earlier in the show Jen talked about, when she was canvassing, going door to door, those are issues we talk about,” Deutsch said. “They’re not the kitchen table issues, although they are the most important issues of our time.”