It’s starting to feel a little fruitless trying to get through to POTATUS that it really sucks out here for a lot of people, and the rest of us aren’t happy.

…And give me the number if you can find it
So, I can call just to tell ’em I’m fine
And to show I’ve overcome the blow
I’ve learned to take it well
I only wish my words could just convince myself
That it just wasn’t real
But that’s not the way it feels

~ “Operator” – Jim Croce 1972

There was news on the economic front this morning that normally would have had people pouring another celebratory bowl of Cheerios.

U.S. GDP grew at a 5.2% rate in the third quarter, even stronger than first indicated

…Gross domestic product, a measure of all goods and services produced during the three-month period, accelerated at a 5.2% annualized pace, the department’s second estimate showed. The acceleration topped the initial 4.9% reading and was better than the 5% forecast from economists polled by Dow Jones.

Woohoo, no?

Well, actually, no. That’s only a half bowl of Cheerios right now, and about all anyone can afford, knowing we’re going to hear about how terrific the number was, and why can’t we-the-people appreciate anything these geniuses are doing for us.

When you look in the number, there’s not a ton of happy there. A good deal of the spending that drove it was “ours” to begin with in the form of government bucks, and that is never good. There’s some really shaky things going on in the parts of the data that should be the indicators of a restrengthening economy if this were a ‘for real’ growth spurt.

…Government spending also helped boost the Q3 estimate, rising 5.5% for the July-through-September period.

However, consumer spending saw a downward revision, now rising just 3.6%, compared with 4% in the initial estimate.

Why is growth so strong? One factor has been government spending which grew an unsustainably 4.7% in real terms over the last year. Outside the pandemic, this is one of the fastest rates in decades and works at a cross purpose with monetary policy objectives

— Joseph Lavorgna (@Lavorgnanomics) November 29, 2023

Yeah.

Behold Bidenomics pic.twitter.com/g3oAaUmOTe

— zerohedge (@zerohedge) November 29, 2023

That consumer, the one POTATUS constantly moans about being disconnected from appreciating how lucky they are to be on the receiving end of #Bidenomics benefits, is having a helluva tough time out there in the real world. For one thing, thanks to Biden’s inflation, they’ve got a whole lot less cash to spend on what they need to just keep humming along, less mind “extras.” There’s no family budget spare change for the things that make life slogging your guts out at a middle class job worth living – treats like Delaware beach houses, bags o’ coke, and hookers – top shelf ones at that.

I’VE OVERCOME THE BLOW

Not everyone can live like a Biden.

We've all seen the videos of young Americans struggling to survive on a full-time wage. New data from the Social Security Administration puts numbers on it.

Half of American workers now make less than $41,000 per year. Which comes to $3,400 per month. With median rent of almost… https://t.co/cgg3HFhnnA

— Wall Street Silver (@WallStreetSilv) November 29, 2023

CBS – no right-wing mouthpiece themselves – had a story out this morning that I’ll bet has a WH intern on the phone already, because their math does not at all balance the #Bidenomics #mathz. The rest of us, however, would have no problem getting both columns to jibe.

The typical American household must spend an additional $11,434 annually just to maintain the same standard of living they enjoyed in January of 2021, right before inflation soared to 40-year highs, according to a recent analysis of government data.

Such figures underscore the financial squeeze many families continue to face even as the the rate of U.S. inflation recedes and the economy by many measures remains strong, with the jobless rate at a two-decade low.

Even so, many Americans say they aren’t feeling those gains, and this fall more people reported struggling financially than they did prior to the pandemic, according to CBS News polling. Inflation is the main reason Americans express pessimism about economy despite its bright points, which also include stronger wage gains in recent years.

And what’s doing it again? The inflation the WH says isn’t there any more!

I ONLY WISH MY WORDS COULD JUST CONVINCE MYSELF

The inflation where our checking accounts say one thing…

…Average hourly pay for workers has increased robust 13.6% since January 2021, although that lags the 17% increase in inflation during the same period, according to government data. The main categories requiring heavier spending for consumers simply to tread water: food, transportation, housing and energy, which together account for almost 80 cents of every $1 in additional spending, according to the analysis from Republican members of the U.S. Senate Joint Economic Committee.

…and the cost of keeping a roof over our head confirms the sticker shock…

Housing is the largest component in inflation. We're at all time highs.. Nice work in that inflation fight guys.. pic.twitter.com/DjdH40vxI3

— Frog Capital (@FrogNews) November 28, 2023

…but there are some pudding brains in high places who insist on fabricating fairy tales flat-out lies for public consumption the lemmings who’ll swallow them.

BIDEN: “As a share of earnings this Thanksgiving, dinner was the 4th cheapest ever on record. I want y’all to know that…”

Cheap for who? The Biden Crime Family?pic.twitter.com/l2rxQph6sb

— Suburban Black Man 🇺🇸 (@niceblackdude) November 28, 2023

BUT THAT’S NOT THE WAY IT FEELS

It’s not like we aren’t reading the tale of the register tape in real time as it, say, spits out the cost of what was actually the second most expensive Thanksgiving on record (Joe Biden, coincidentally, was also president for the most expensive.).

Who does this geriatric vegetable think he’s lying to?

Did You Overpay for Thanksgiving Dinner?
2023 marks the second most expensive Thanksgiving dinner in history. But how much it cost depended on what you bought, where you live — and whether your state taxes groceries.

Americans are so depressed and stressed out, they’re “doom spending.”

…Nearly all Americans, 96%, are concerned about the current state of the economy, according to a recent report by Intuit Credit Karma.

Still, more than a quarter are “doom spending,” or spending money despite economic and geopolitical concerns, the report found.

…“Much like doom scrolling, we’re seeing people mindlessly shop to soothe concerns about the economy and foreign affairs, which could take a toll on their financial wellbeing,” said Courtney Alev, Credit Karma’s consumer financial advocate.

Even as credit card debt tops $1 trillion, Gen Z and millennials are particularly susceptible to this mindset, other reports show.

Rather than cut expenses, 73% of Gen Zers say they would rather live in the moment, a recent Prosperity Index study by Intuit found.

I’VE LEARNED TO TAKE IT WELL

To be fair to doom spenders, they’re seeing an administration “mindlessly” govern, or we’re being governed by the mindless – same-same.

Many households have tapped into their cash reserves in recent months, with over one-third of consumers planning to dip further into their savings to cover holiday spending.

Read more: https://t.co/fcIilKTRHk

— unusual_whales (@unusual_whales) November 29, 2023

On the CNBC front page upside, Mark Cuban’s just announced he’s not running for president.

The doom cloud lifts the tiniest bit, get a little chuckle or confused “WTF,” and we should all sleep a little easier, no? Might oughta.

Because it looks like we’re going to stay disconnected for quite a while.

Couldn’t call just to tell them we’re fine, anyway…because we’re not.

That’s just the way it feels.