TRUMP’S PENCE PROBLEM — POLITICO’s Matthew Nussbaum and Ben White: “Donald Trump looks at the economy and sees a ‘crippled’ America, a nation ravaged by incompetent leaders who’ve betrayed the working class — especially in the rust belt, ground zero for the loss of manufacturing jobs. But one of those rust belt governors, Indiana’s Mike Pence, has spent years touting his state’s economy, noting a drop in unemployment, an increase in factory jobs and a growing workforce.
“They can’t both be right, and now that they’re sharing a presidential ticket and looking to communicate a coherent economic message, Trump and Pence are going to have to reconcile the contradiction. It’s a difficult needle to thread, because if Trump wants to claim that Indiana is a Pence-inspired bright spot in an Obama-blighted nation, he’ll have to explain Indiana’s economic climate is strikingly similar to the rest of the U.S.”
MORE THAN JUST INDIANA — “Indeed, much of what Pence — and more recently Trump — tout about Indiana’s economic strength is supported by economic data, but those same sources point to similar positive trends nationwide. And Trump was not always so high on the Hoosier State’s prospects, particularly when he was campaigning there during the GOP primary.
“[T]he story in Indiana is similar across much of the country, complicating the Republican ticket’s message that the economy is a mess and getting worse. Joblessness is half what it was at the height of recession and wages, after languishing for much of the recovery, are starting to rise more quickly. Wages grew at a 2.6 percent pace in June, the fastest rate in six years as the economy approaches full employment” politi.co |
