On this day of Thanksgivingour neighbors do not have the heart to thank many people, especially not their political leaders, and yet…
The polls follow one another and are similar in the United States, and they do not bode well for Joe Biden.
The discontent caused by a difficult economic situation continues, but more Americans than last year are traveling to join their families and taking advantage of special vouchers for the December holidays.
Will this reunion period be an opportunity for a change in the political climate?
Pessimistic mood
It’s true that the mood of Americans is rather pessimistic on this day normally devoted to celebrations, especially on the economic level.
Many voters are even angry enough about the economic situation to say they are ready to vote for a candidate awaiting four trials for 91 major crimes who presents a speech and a program with fascist overtones.
It is also true that inflation and rising interest rates have hit hard, as we ourselves can see.
But the economic reality is not uniformly gloomy.
A less gray reality
The first sign of an improvement is that significantly more Americans are traveling to join their families this year, an increase of 2.3% compared to last year and a return to pre-pandemic levels.
Those who have traveled may have noticed that gas prices are 10% lower than last year at this time and plane ticket prices are 13% lower.
Hosts who receive these hungry travelers may have noticed that the price of turkey and all the treats that surround it have fallen by an average of 4.5% compared to the peak reached last year.
Even better, the average hourly wage increased 4.1% from October 2022 to October 2023, meaning that in terms of hours worked, the average cost of the Thanksgiving meal will be significantly lower than last year and considerably lower than before the pandemic.
Some guests may also talk about the good jobs they’ve been able to find thanks to historically low unemployment, or the “Black Friday” specials on toys and electronic gadgets they’ve already found in anticipation of Christmas.
No politics at the table!
We will have to talk about all this good economic news, because very few Americans will want to talk about politics.
Indeed, since 2016, many families have been torn apart by political polarization amplified by the rhetoric of Donald Trump’s toxic actions. This is undoubtedly why the ultra-Trumpist network Newsmax recommends that its listeners avoid poisoning their family reunions by talking, among other taboo subjects… about Trump.
Who knows? Perhaps a truce in political bickering will make some people wonder if they really want to vote for a potential criminal and face four more years of circus in the White House. Perhaps others will even be able to discover some good qualities in good old “Uncle Joe”.
We can always hope.