To make its economic pitch to voters, the Biden administration puts a spin on a familiar term
To make its economic pitch to voters, the Biden administration puts a spin on a familiar term
As you’ve probably heard multiple times, President Joe Biden gave a big economic speech Wednesday in Chicago.
He highlighted his administration’s economic accomplishments and made a pitch for why voters should give him four more years. That pitch was wrapped in some heavy-duty branding that featured a historical throwback (along with a distinct contrast). The president and his campaign are calling his economic agenda “Bidenomics.”
There’s a reason that term, which you’ll be hearing a lot of, echoes a term you’ve heard before.
“‘Bidenomics’ is about building from the bottom up and the middle out,” said Anat Shenker-Osorio, founder of ASO Communications, which focuses on political messaging. “As opposed to ‘Reaganomics’ — trickle down, or the notion that if you feed the hungry beast of the billionaires, somehow their, you know, magical excess is going to rain down upon us.”
One reason this strategy might work for the Biden campaign is that the contrast with a past Republican ideology is relatively straightforward — unlike our current economy with its nuances and weirdness.
“For Biden, in order to push a positive economic message, it would be helpful if there were a clear economic picture, and there is not,” said Jennifer Stromer-Galley, a professor in Syracuse University’s School of Information Studies.
Political campaigns are a lot like ad campaigns, said Stromer-Galley: They have to build a brand and bring positive associations to it.
“So even if the current economic picture is a little unclear, what he is going to try to say is, ‘I know how to drive this economy and really make every American feel that the world, that the economy, that their personal lives are going in the right direction,'” she said.
The administration can cite strong job numbers, improving labor force participation and healthy consumer confidence. But a lot can happen in the economy between now and Election Day 2024. So, packaging good economic vibes in an easy-to-remember term can help the Biden campaign take ownership of other positives moving forward.
“Whether that be the bridge that’s being, you know, paved in your community or whether that be broadband that’s suddenly accessible to you when it wasn’t previously,” Shenker-Osorio said. “We need you to associate that with Biden.”
Plus, by owning “Bidenomics” now, the campaign might prevent the GOP from using it against Biden later.
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