On CNBC's Friday broadcast of “Last Call,” CNBC contributor and former Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) said that even though many people hold multiple jobs, “they… “I don't feel financially secure,” and “Biden is the wrong choice.” This campaign aims to tell everyone to smile and say it's great. ” and they “have not been able to really articulate a plan for how to make their families wealthy again.”
Heitkamp says, “When you think about work, consider the fact that many people have jobs, many people know they can get a job, and many people hold two jobs. Are they earning enough to make a living? And what they are telling us through these numbers is that even if they feel secure in their employment, they are not financially secure. So what we have to look at is the cost of living. Yes, it's coming down. But the misery index is important. Everyone wants to measure GDP and employment. Guess what? What people are looking at is what's in their checking account at the end of the month or the end of the week.”
She then added: “I think the mistake the Biden campaign is making is laughing at everyone and saying that's great. … People don't feel like the economy is good. And what are those macro numbers? It doesn't matter. As my friend Barbara Mikulski used to say, you don't just have to look at the macro numbers, you have to look at the macaroni and cheese numbers. I don't think they're paying enough attention to it and really laying out their plans for how to make families wealthy again.”
If the macaroni and cheese numbers remain the same between now and the election, Heitkamp said, “we have to start talking about where we came from after the pandemic. We have to be honest about it.” he added. But I also think people just want to be heard, and they want to know that people will listen to their complaints. When they say, “I can't make a living,” they know what they're saying. And…insurance costs also add to this. So let's look at all the things that we can control and let people know that we're working on things that will make our economy better and hopefully give us better wages and actually give us the opportunity to live the American dream. ”
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