The Economy May Be Our Last Guardrail

More than taking to the streets, a souring economy may be democracy’s last hope. Beneath calm headlines, inflation persists and wealth accumulates. The numbers reveal what matters most.

It’s the economy, stupid.” Bill Clinton’s 1992 campaign mantra has never felt more prophetic. In an era when presidential scandals barely register, where lawbreaking and corruption seem consequence-free, where the president himself once boasted he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue without losing support — the economy may be the only force powerful enough to reshape our political landscape.

And right now, beneath the surface calm, something fundamental may be shifting.

In this recent WhoWhatWhy podcast I spoke with Matthew Klein, economics commentator and publisher of The Overshoot newsletter. He takes us deep into the weeds of consumer spending, inflation persistence, housing market dysfunction, and the ticking time bomb of household wealth that could reshape everything in ways that simple politics cannot.

Get full access to Talk Cocktail Podcast at jeffschechtman.substack.com/subscribe