ELIZABETH: WHO'S WITH US FOR OUR HOT TAKE, IT'S NATIONAL REVIEW EDITOR RICH LOWRY. >> HEY, HOW'S IT GOING? ELIZABETH: VOTERS ARE SAYING TIME TO FIX AMERICA, TIME TO FIX IT, BUT BIDEN'S GOING TO CELEBRATE THE INFLATION REDUCTION ACT? WHY TAKE A VICTORY LAP? >> THE ONLY THING IT HAD TO DO WITH INFLATION, OBVIOUSLY, THE WORD WAS IN THE TITLE. OTHERWISE MILDLY INFLATIONARY AT THE MARGINS. PEOPLE DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT IT, BUT BIDEN WANTS TO GO WITH THE CONJUNCTION HERE OF THE INFLATION RATE GOING DOWN WITH THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE AS PASSAGE AND TRY TO CONVINCE PEOPLE HE HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH IT. THERE'S VERY LITTLE SIGN THAT'S GOING TO WORK IN THE POLLING, BUT THIS IS WHAT YOU DO, YOU TRY TO TALK UP THE ECONOMY AND TRY TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR IT. ELIZABETH: WELL, YOU KNOW WHO ELSE IS SAYING FIX THE ECONOMY IN IT'S WORKING CLASS BLACK AND LATINO VOTERS, AND NOW AXIOS IS SAYING THEY'RE ABANDONING, THEY'RE LEAVING BIDEN, BIDEN IS LOSING THOSE VOTERS BECAUSE THEY'RE SAYING, YOU KNOW WHAT? WE CAN'T AFFORD YOUR GREEN ENERGY. YOU'RE DOING IT TOO QUICKLY AND TOO COSTLY. >> YEAH. THIS IS ALWAYS THE PROBLEM, REPUBLICANS ARE BECOMING A MORE WORKING CLASS ORIENTED PARTY. THERE'S A LOT OF FOCUS ON WORKING CLASS WHITES, BUT THEY'RE NOT, OBVIOUSLY, THE ONLY WORKING CLASS PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY, RIGHT? [LAUGHTER] THERE ARE BLACK AND LATINO WORKING CLASS PEOPLE WORKING THEIR BUTTS OFF TO MAKE ENDS MEET, DON'T APPRECIATE THE INFLATION, THE REAL WAGES DECLINING OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS, AND DEMOCRATS REALLY ASSUMED AFTER OBAMA THERE WAS, THEY WEREN'T GOING TO FALL ANY FURTHER AMONG WORKING CLASS WHY NOTES. HILLARY CLINTON PROVED THAT WAS WRONG. NOW WE MAY BE SEEING THERE'S EVEN FURTHER ROOM TO FALL WITH WORKING CLASS VOTERS BECAUSE AFRICAN-AMERICAN AND LATINO VOTERS ARE GOING TO START TURNING AWAY FROM THE DEMOCRATS AS WELL. ELIZABETH: YOU KNOW WHAT, RICH? THIS IS A BELLWETHER, RIGHT? THIS MAY BE A HINGE POINT, A TURNING POINT. YOU KNOW WHAT'S A BELLWETHER, YOU KNOW WHAT HAS SENT UP FIRE ENGINE RED FLARES INTO THE ATMOSPHERE, IT'S WHEN HOUSE DEMOCRATS ARE SILENT. THE HOUSE -- POLITICO IS REPORTING HOUSE DEMOCRATS IN VULNERABLE SEATS, THEY'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT BIDENOMICS AT ALL. THEY KNOW THAT IT'S A PROBLEM. >> YEAH. SO THIS IS, AGAIN, IT'S A BALANCE, RIGHT IN YOU'RE THE INCUMBENT PARTY WHO'S, HOLDS THE WHITE HOUSE. YOU WANT TO TALK UP THE ECONOMY, BUT YOU DON'T WANT TO SEEM OUT OF TOUCH, AND ALL THE POLLING SUGGESTS DESPITE SOME OF THE NUMBERS BEING OKAY OR SUGGESTING WE MIGHT BE HEADING TO A SOFT LANDING, PEOPLE DO NOT FEEL GOOD ABOUT THIS ECONOMY. SO YOU WANT TO CONVINCE THEM THAT MAYBE IT'S BETTER THAN WHAT THEY THINK, BUT IF YOU DO THAT TOO MUCH, THEY MIGHT TURN AROUND AND SAY, YOU KNOW WHAT? YOU'RE OUT OF TOUCH, YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE FOR ME DEALING WITH THESE HIGHER PRICES, AND I'M GOING TO VOTE YOU OUT OF OFFICE BECAUSE YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON WITH MY LIFE. THAT'S THE DOWNSIDE RISK. AND THOSE VULNERABLE MEMBERS ARE PARTICULARLY AWARE OF THAT DOWNSIDE RISK. ELIZABETH: YEAH. THEY GO HOME TO THEIR HOME DISTRICTS AND HEAR FROM THE VOTERS, YOU KNOW? AND, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU SEE -- YOU KNOW WHAT'S INTERESTING IN THE NFIB IS REPORTING THE SMALL BUSINESSES, THEIR OPTIMISM IS RUNNING BELOW AVERAGE FOR 19 STRAIGHT MONTHS. LISTEN, WE'RE JUST REPORTING WHAT THE DATA SHOWS, RIGHT? WE'RE JUST REPORTING WHAT GOVERNMENT RECORDS SHOW AND DOCUMENTS SHOW AND WHAT AMERICANS ARE SAYING IN THE POLLS, RIGHT? >> YEAH. ELIZABETH: SO WHEN WE SEE WHAT WE SEE ON MSNBC, WHAT THEY'RE REPORTING, WHEN WE SEE, YOU KNOW, WHITE HOUSE OFFICIALS, WHAT THEY'RE SAYING, IT'S LIKE THEY'RE TRYING TO PUSH ON A STRING. THEY'RE TRYING TO PUSH ON A NARRATIVE INTO -- IT'S LIKE PUSHING ON A WET NOODLE INTO THE U.S. VOTER BASE, AND THE U.S. VOTERS ARE SAYING, WHAT ARE YOU DOING? WE'RE FACING HARDSHIP, YOU'RE NOT REPORTING ON THAT. >> YEAH. SO WHAT SOME OF THEM THINK AND ACTUALLY SAY, NOT THE POLITICIANS, BUT THE COMMENTATORS, WELL, THEY'RER RATIONAL, RIGHT IN THEY JUST DON'T REALIZE HOW GOOD THINGS ARE. BUT THEY'RE THE ONES THAT ARE CUTTING EDGE OF THE ECONOMY. THEY FEEL MANAGER'S NOT RIGHT. SOMETHING A'S NOT RIGHT. AND YOU'RE NEVER GOING TO TALK THEM ALL OFF IT I. ALTHOUGH ALL INCUMBENT PRESIDENTS TRY TO TALK UP THE ECONOMY, CONDITIONS MAKE THE DIFFERENCE, AND IT'S WHEN CONDITIONS TRULY GET BETTER AND HAVE PEOPLE LIKE THOSE SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS ACTUALLY FEELING BETTER, THAT'S WHEN YOU CONSOLIDATE THE ECONOMY. ELIZABETH: RICH LOWRY, GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN. >> HAVE A GREAT NIGHT. ELIZABETH: TOMORROW HOUSE MAJORITY WHIP TOM EMMER, FORMER ARKA
