The author urges midterm candidates opposing Republicans to ask Reagan’s classic question—“Are you better off than before this presidency?”—and argues most non-wealthy households are not.

The piece attributes higher living costs to tariffs, the Iran war’s energy and fertilizer effects, utility-bill increases, AI data-center demand, and health-coverage and consumer-protection rollbacks, while saying stock-market gains mainly benefit the richest households.

It advises Democrats to stay focused on affordability and working Americans’ economic interests rather than cultural or ideological side debates.

The midterm elections are already upon us, and every Democrat and Independent running against a Republican should ask voters the question Ronald Reagan asked October 28, 1980, at the end of his televised debate against Jimmy Carter: Are you better off now than you were before this presidency?

Unless you’re very, very rich, the answer is obviously No, I’m worse off. 

Start with his tariffs, which are costing every American house­hold an aver­age of $1,100 annually, accord­ing to the Yale Budget Lab. (If you don’t trust Yale, the conservative Tax Found­a­tion estimated last year’s tab to be $1,000 per household.) Cleaning supplies and toilet paper are up at least 5 percent. Household furnishings, up at least 8 percent. Clothing, up at least 14 percent. Trump’s tariffs have also increased the costs of big-ticket items such as cars and made it more expensive to build new homes. 

Other studies find that the tariffs have added as much as 0.7 and 0.5 percentage points to the consumer price index and the personal consumption expenditures price index, respectively.

Then there’s Trump’s war in Iran, which is driving up energy and food prices, as oil tankers remain stranded in the Strait of Hormuz. The war is cost­ing every­one........

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