Not surprising, because he’s bad for everything, but I digress. I think it’s stupid to argue if negative sentiment about the economy reflects reality: it’s a big country, and some people are correctly angry about the economy, if not inflation per se. At the same time, people are generally unhappy about other things, and that colors their attitudes, as some asshole with a blog noted:

But that said, does anyone think if Trump were convicted (or, frankly, shuffle off this mortal coil) that people would give more positive ratings to the economy?

To flesh that out a bit:

Incipient fascism and theocracy: most normies don’t like to think about politics very much, and they don’t like having to be on ‘constant alert’ (for lack of a better phrase). For example, normies in Ohio wanted to legalize pot, and now the Republican-dominated legislature is attempting to prevent that. It’s exhausting and demoralizing. MOAR CRANKY.

I think Brian Beutler gives the best summary of a significant cause–not the only one–of the Great Crankiness (boldface mine):

But Trump’s continued dominance of the GOP is also very distressing to the 55-60 percent of Americans who see him rightly as a blight on the country and believe he should be a national pariah.

• They mobilized the largest protest movement in American history to resist the depredations of his presidency;
• They voted in record numbers to end his governing trifecta in 2018, and did the same thing in 2020 to drive him from power;
• They did these things successfully, in large part because life in Trump’s America felt to them like being trapped in a house with an abusive family member;
• Then Trumped literally trapped them in their houses, including those who lived with actual abusers.

And yet:

• Trump got more votes in 2020 than in 2016 and increased his share of the two-party vote;
• In defeat, Trump attempted a coup d’etat, and nearly succeeded;
• He was not swiftly brought to justice;
• Senate Republicans refused to disqualify from seeking the presidency again;
• His imitators were not chastened;
• They continued to subvert elections and heap abuse upon his non-supporters, including leading Democrats, election workers, judges, and jurors;
• The Supreme Court, which he stole, eliminated the right to abortion;
• On his orders, Republicans in Congress have subjected Biden to bitter obstruction, hostage taking, and slander, poisoning public opinion and bringing the country repeatedly to the brink of disaster.
• The Trump resistance was called upon to end Trump’s fascist threat, and having done all they could with their diffuse power, Trump remains poised to overthrow U.S. democracy in a comeback.

Now, ask yourself: Do you feel good reflecting on that? Does it improve your vibe?

…Trump is a blight on the United States. If he makes you feel dread every time he darkens your door, you probably already have an intuitive sense of how a specter can affect your sentiment about day-to-day life.

As I discussed yesterday, people did their jobs and stopped Trump, yet he still remains a threat. That’s demoralizing, and there’s no way anything seems as good as it might be right now. That’s what malignant narcissists do.