Voting is not the only civic duty that Americans have next week. Each one of us must do his/her due diligence to confirm that our assumptions (and those of others we rely on) are valid. This exercise is more necessary now than ever.
Author Michael Crichton put it best: “The irony of the Information Age is that it has given new respectability to uninformed opinion”. The speed and ease with which people transmit information has created an oversupply of facts and figures to everyday Americans. Interestingly, this oversupply does not lead to a more educated electorate-it often has a counterintuitive effect, as voters feel inundated with information and are compelled rely on shorthand variables to make their decisions.
No matter how many elections I have lived through, I am shocked by the misinformation that not only fills the airwaves, but also plays a significant role in who people vote for. When talking to some swing voters who are likely to vote for Trump on Tuesday, they explain that Biden has done a terrible job with the economy. More specifically, they refer to the astronomic food prices that are strapping Americans for cash. This assertion is filled with assumptions that imply a solid connection between VP Harris and the economy.
With so much at stake, I beg voters to not make sweeping conclusions based on perception and spend some time asking and answering logical questions that measure the actual connection between Harris and the state of the our economy. Below are the questions they should consider.
Step 1: To what extent (if any) do food prices accurately serve as a barometer of the overall economy?
Rising or unstable food prices are often an indicator of underlying problems in the economy—whether inflation, supply chain instability, or reduced production capacity—are affecting consumers directly. That said, they are just one piece of the puzzle and need to be considered alongside other economic indicators. For this reason, voters need to consider other indicators as well.
Step 2: Does the President have control over food prices?
The President has limited direct control over food prices, which are influenced by factors beyond the government’s reach. The President can indirectly affect food prices by the negotiating favorable terms of a trade agreements, providing subsidies to farmers, and appointing a Federal Reserve Chairman that will adjust interest rates and implement quantitative tightening.
Step 3: What has the President done to lower food prices?In the last four years, President
Biden has proposed and implemented measures to support farmers, such as increasing funding for programs that provide financial aid, which can stabilize agricultural production and potentially lower prices. He has also taken steps to enforce antitrust laws that will prevent companies in the supply chain from driving prices up due to a lack of competition. The most direct measures have focus on financial assistance to low income families.
Step 4: What is the power and influence that the Vice President has over food prices?
While in isolated examples the VP can directly the type and scope of specific policies, he/she generally does so through collaboration with the President. The Vice President’s’ influence on economic policy often focuses on leading initiatives within the administration’s broader goals, such as advocating for certain programs.
When you consider that a President can (at most) indirectly affect food prices, the fact that Biden has taken steps to drive prices down, the partial connection between food prices and the overall state of the economy, and the fact that the VP’s influence on policy focuses on advocacy rather than formation, it is unfair and irresponsible to hold Harris accountable for the state of food prices and the economy. Let me be clear: there are many examples of swing voters who are going to vote for Harris because of unchecked assumptions about Trump’s influence over certain decisions that are made by his staff and advisors. With so much at stake next week, please take the time to ask some very basic questions that you can easily answer with a short Google search before making a decision on who should lead our country for the next four years. It is up to all of us to use our unlimited access to information in a responsible way, making it an asset rather than a liability.