Are You Better Off Today Than You Were Four Years Ago?

Comes before us now the ultimate test question for the efficacy of an incumbent President.

Are you better off today than you were four years ago?

It is a fair question, though many incumbents do not want to troll such a definitive report card before the electorate.

Gallup, the polling pros, routinely ask this question of registered voters. The results?

July 1984 — 44% say they are better off — Ronald Reagan (re-elected)

October 1992 — 38% say they are better off — George HW Bush (defeated)

October 1994 — 47% say they are better off — Bill Clinton (re-elected)

December 2012 — 45% say they are better off — Barack Obama (re-elected)

September 2020 — 56% say they are better off — Donald Trump

Surprised?

This is a tidbit of news you will likely not see anywhere else.

In the greater scheme of things, what does this mean?

The exact question asked by Gallup in September 2020 was: “I’d like you to compare your situation today with what it was four years ago. Are you better off than you were four years ago, or not?”

Discuss.

I asked Nancy Pelosi to pick a good image of President Donald J Trump and she said, “This is my favorite.”