It’s The Economy Stupid!

You know, there’s an old saying in American politics.

“It’s the economy, stupid!”

James Carville made that famous back in 1992, when Bill Clinton was running against George H. W. Bush.

Well, here we are, 34 years later, and guess what?

It’s still the economy, stupid!

And right now, the American economy is kicking a whole lot of people right in the ass.

I was reading an article in The New York Times this morning about the upcoming midterm elections.

And apparently, the Republican Party is starting to panic.

Not a little nervous.

I’m talking about full-blown, holy-shit-we-might-lose-Texas panic!

Think about that.

TEXAS!

I grew up in Houston. I know Texas. Republicans have dominated that state for decades.

And now they’re spending another $30 million trying to protect a Republican Senate seat.

Thirty million dollars!

That’s a hell of a lot of money to spend convincing people that everything’s going great when they can barely afford to fill up their pickup trucks.

And that’s the problem.

Donald Trump got elected in 2024 promising to make America affordable again.

Remember?

He was going to bring prices down.

He was going to fix the economy.

He was going to make America great again.

Well, here we are in October 2026.

How’s that working out for everybody?

Gasoline prices are through the roof.

Diesel prices are hammering farmers and truckers.

Tariffs are driving up costs.

And now we’ve got a war with Iran that’s making energy prices even worse.

You know who pays for all that?

WE DO!

Not the politicians.

Not the billionaires.

Not the people flying around in private jets.

Ordinary Americans.

The farmer in Iowa.

The truck driver in Texas.

The retired couple in North Carolina.

The young family in Greensboro trying to buy their first house.

They’re the ones paying the price.

And here’s something that really caught my attention.

According to this article, Trump has been promising checks to Americans.

Ninety dollars for certain Medicare recipients.

Five hundred dollars for some people buying health insurance.

And now he’s promising five thousand dollars to every adult American citizen if Republicans keep control of Congress.

Five thousand dollars!

Are you kidding me?

What happened to fixing the economy?

Now we’re handing out checks?

And apparently, you’ve got to vote the right way to get the big one!

That sounds less like an economic policy and more like a game show.

“Congratulations! You’ve won five thousand dollars! All you have to do is keep us in office!”

Come on, America.

We’re smarter than that.

And I think Americans are beginning to figure it out.

Because here’s what’s fascinating about this election.

The Republicans aren’t necessarily losing because millions of people suddenly fell in love with the Democratic Party.

They’re losing support because people are disappointed.

They’re frustrated.

They’re exhausted.

And they’re asking one very simple question.

“Is my life any better than it was two years ago?”

For a lot of Americans, the answer is no.

And that is a serious political problem.

The article talks about Republican candidates in Michigan distancing themselves from Trump.

Republicans in Iowa questioning the war with Iran.

Republicans in Nebraska worrying about losing congressional seats.

And Republican strategists redirecting money to states like Kansas and South Carolina.

Kansas and South Carolina!

These are places Republicans ordinarily expect to win.

Now, does that mean Democrats are going to sweep the country in November?

Not necessarily.

There are still plenty of close races.

Republicans have significant financial advantages.

And we’ve seen elections before where the polls got it wrong.

But something is happening.

And I think it’s bigger than Republicans versus Democrats.

I think Americans are beginning to question the entire political system.

Because think about it.

For decades, we’ve been told that if we elect the right people, everything will get better.

Republicans promise prosperity.

Democrats promise opportunity.

And every election, we get another round of promises.

Meanwhile, the cost of housing keeps climbing.

Healthcare keeps getting more expensive.

Young people can’t afford to buy homes.

Families are living paycheck to paycheck.

And the wealthiest Americans keep getting wealthier.

At what point do we say:

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH?

Now, I’m running for mayor of Greensboro, North Carolina.

And I’ve started a project to interview one thousand Greensboro residents.

One thousand people.

Four simple questions.

What do you like about Greensboro?

What don’t you like?

What would you change?

And what would you like Greensboro to become?

That’s it.

No Republican questions.

No Democratic questions.

No political litmus test.

I just want to hear what people have to say.

And here’s what I believe.

If we want to understand what’s happening in America, we need to stop listening exclusively to politicians and start listening to ordinary people.

Because ordinary people understand something that Washington seems to have forgotten.

You cannot build a strong country on the backs of people who cannot afford to live in it.

You can’t have a thriving economy when young people can’t afford housing.

You can’t have strong communities when families can’t afford healthcare.

And you can’t have a healthy democracy when people believe their voices don’t matter.

That’s why I keep coming back to the same idea.

Participation.

Engagement.

Accountability.

We need more people involved in government.

Not just voting every two or four years.

I’m talking about participating in the decisions that affect their lives.

Showing up at city council meetings.

Asking questions.

Demanding answers.

And holding elected officials accountable.

Republican, Democrat, independent — I don’t give a damn.

If you’re elected to represent the people, then represent the people!

Not the corporations.

Not the lobbyists.

Not the political donors.

THE PEOPLE!

And there’s something else I want to say.

I don’t think we should celebrate when Americans are suffering just because it might help one political party win an election.

There’s nothing to celebrate about a farmer going broke.

There’s nothing to celebrate about a family struggling to buy groceries.

And there’s certainly nothing to celebrate about young Americans losing hope in their future.

What we should celebrate is finding solutions.

Real solutions.

Solutions that make people’s lives better.

Because ultimately, that’s what government is supposed to do.

And that brings me back to this election.

We’ve got just over three weeks until Americans go to the polls.

And the question isn’t simply whether Republicans will lose control of Congress.

The bigger question is whether the people we elect will actually listen to us.

Because if they don’t, we’ll be right back here in another two years.

Same problems.

Same promises.

Same bullshit.

Just different politicians.

I’m 69 years old.

I’ve watched this country go through some extraordinary changes.

I’ve seen the civil rights movement.

I’ve seen Americans put a man on the moon.

I’ve seen technology completely transform our world.

And I’ve seen what ordinary people can accomplish when they come together around a common purpose.

So I know we can do better than this.

I know Greensboro can do better.

And I know America can do better.

But it’s going to require something from all of us.

We have to get involved.

We have to talk to each other.

We have to listen to each other.

And most importantly, we have to vote.

Because here’s the bottom line.

The economy belongs to the people who make it work.

The farmers.

The truckers.

The teachers.

The nurses.

The construction workers.

The small-business owners.

The millions of Americans who get up every morning and keep this country running.

They deserve a government that works just as hard for them.

So whether you’re a Republican, a Democrat, or somewhere in between, ask yourself one question before you vote.

“Is this government working for me, or am I working for it?”

And if you don’t like the answer?

Do something about it.

Get involved.

Make your voice heard.

And vote.

Because America doesn’t belong to Donald Trump.

It doesn’t belong to the Republican Party.

And it doesn’t belong to the Democratic Party.

IT BELONGS TO US!

And it’s about damn time we started acting like it.