by Las Vegas Review-Journal Editorial Board, June 30, 2022
The theory dubbed “wisdom of the crowd” holds that the collective judgment of a large, diverse group of individuals formulating independent conclusions on an issue is often more accurate than the viewpoint of a single expert. It could also prophesy the downfall of President Joe Biden.
On Thursday, The Associated Press reported that a poll it conducted with the NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found “deep pessimism about the economy.” The dissatisfaction cut across party lines, with 85 percent of adults surveyed — including 80 percent of Democrats — saying the country is on the wrong track.
Mr. Biden’s dismal numbers are especially weak among the voters his party will need to hold Congress. The poll found that 73 percent of independents disapprove of his job performance and 84 percent of independent voters are unhappy with his handling of the economy.
The crowd could not be more clear. Yet Democrats remain willfully deaf to its roar.
Consider an email blast this month from Nevada Democratic Victory, a group of traditional Democrats formed after a socialist brigade took over the state party apparatus. The organization is “committed to electing Democrats up and down the ballot statewide in 2022,” but its task gets more difficult each time Mr. Biden’s poll numbers plummet further. Yet the folks at Nevada Democratic Victory don’t help themselves with delusional propaganda such as a recent missive headlined “President Biden’s Economic Plan is Working for Nevadans.”
Translation: Who you going to believe, us or your lying pocketbook?
The group insists that “President Biden and Democrats have delivered one of the strongest job markets in Nevada’s history” and that Democrats “are helping small-business owners” while Republicans want to tax them. Meanwhile, the organization touts an expected decrease in the Nevada poverty rate thanks to federal handouts, ignoring the fact that this measure has been steadily decreasing since 2012.
Never mind that the state’s unemployment rate — while on the mend — remains among the highest in the nation. And then there’s the inconvenient fact that, with inflation roaring at 8 percent and gasoline prices blowing past $5 a gallon, even workers with decent jobs are stretched thin. At the same time, those nearing retirement age are watching their 401(k) accounts dwindle at an alarming rate. If this is “working for Nevada,” what would failure look like?
In the chaotic final scene of “National Lampoon’s Animal House,” Kevin Bacon’s character becomes increasingly frantic as he tries to calm a mob of parade-goers by screaming, “Remain calm, all is well.” Yet ultimately he is trampled by the crowd, perhaps foreshadowing the fate of Mr. Biden and his party this November.