The Democratic Party is at a pivotal moment. Members from the most centrist Blue Dogs to true believers on the progressive left are warning of an impending shellacking in November as voters sour to the president’s job performance and see little action from the unified Democratic House, Senate and White House.
Hanging above the party’s myriad of other issues is possibly the most serious of all: inflation. Consumer prices are rising across the board, while some sectors like energy in particular are shooting up faster than others.
The most recent consumer price index (CPI) data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, released earlier this month, shows the CPI rising 1.2 per cent from February to March after rising 0.8 per cent the month before; driving the increase were surging fuel, housing and food prices. Groceries as a whole are up 10 points over the last 12 months, while gasoline is up 48 points. Household fuel costs were up even more.
