The Price Gouging Controversy
Author: Greg Valliere
August 26, 2024
NOW THAT THE FIRST POST-CONVENTION polls have been released — showing Kamala Harris with a lead of between 3 and 6 points — she will face criticism over a wide range of issues. Democrats are already backing down on calls to curb price gouging.
MOST DEMOCRATS AGREE, IN PRIVATE, that price gouging is difficult to define and even more difficult to enforce. The Washington Post editorial page recently called the assault on price gouging is “a gimmick.”
SOME LIBERAL SENATORS, LED BY ELIZABETH WARREN, vow to tackle the issue, but the overwhelming consensus on Capitol Hill is that legislation has no chance. It may be a potent theme for Harris, but it gives Donald Trump an opportunity to call her a Communist.
ANOTHER HOT-BUTTON ISSUE is capital gains taxation, a favorite of Warren and Harris, but there’s no way a wealth tax can make it through Congress for the foreseeable future.
WE’RE STILL IN THE POST-CONVENTION phase of the campaign, with both camps trying out their sound bites as the Sept. 10 debate approaches. {Trump, now trailing, is determined to portray himself as a pragmatist on abortion. Good luck with that.)
WE SAW LOTS OF POLLS over the weekend, mostly showing Harris ahead by 3 to 6 points. The big focus are the swing states — Harris leads by nearly 4 points in Michigan, North Carolina, Wisconsin and she leads in the Big One — Harris is up by about 3 points in Pennsylvania.
HOW CLOSE WILL THIS ELECTION BE? Trump is telling associates that he will contest a close result, a prospect we don’t dismiss. Another disputed election looms, although Harris has a modest lead — for now.
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