The belief that inflation and supply chain disruptions are just a “high class” problem was not just a misplaced retweet by White House chief of staff Ron Klain. It is the White House’s actual, idiotic position, as several administration officials confirmed this week.
When asked about the supply chain crisis and how it might affect consumers going into the holidays, White House press secretary Jen Psaki dismissed these concerns as the “tragedy of the treadmill” — as if this economic crisis is only affecting upper-class people who won’t be able to get their expensive goods on time.
Liz Reynolds, the special assistant to the president for manufacturing and economic development, similarly brushed off concerns about the inability to get certain goods during a conference call on Monday with representatives of the nation’s governors.
“You won’t be able to get the jacket in 15 colors, but you will be able to get the jacket,” she said.
Either the Biden administration has no idea what a supply chain crisis really is, or its minions are being intentionally insulting. The backlog in the nation’s ports and the labor shortage in the transportation industry affect everyone in numerous ways, but especially lower-income workers. Truck drivers, port workers, factory employees — they’re all being asked to work longer hours. On top of that, the rise in prices that has accompanied supply chain disruptions means their paychecks aren’t going as far as they used to. Just last month, the price of food jumped 1.2%. Utility companies are predicting heating bills could jump by as much as 54% this winter.
The only people who don’t have to worry about these price increases are the middle- and upper-class people who can afford to pay for them. The consumers buying expensive treadmills aren’t nearly as concerned about the economy as the factory workers working overtime to make sure they have enough for groceries this month. For the White House to pretend otherwise is absurd.
If the Biden administration wants the public to believe it’s taking this crisis seriously, it needs to start by recognizing where the people are at. They’re not just selfishly concerned about shipping delays — they are worried that a severe supply chain disruption means fewer goods, which means even higher prices and inflation rates that continue to rise. That wouldn’t just be a “tragedy of the treadmill.” It would be an economic crisis. And thanks to the incompetence of this White House, such a crisis is looking more and more likely every day.
