Why is American consumer confidence so low?

[senseandsensibility]

Question to Leavitt, the WH press secretary just now. It was based on survey results that show consumer confidence at a fifty year low. And I'll bet you'll never guess the answer.

"Look, I think there's a great optimism in this economy...as he said, this is gonna be a period of transition. He wants consumers to trust in him, and they should trust in him"

When she gaslights "journalists" like this there should be follow up. She is not addressing the proven facts and is instead invoking blind faith in someone with no plan, track record, or reasonable vision for his actions. Letting it stand is offensive, a disservice to the journalists' readers/viewers and makes them part of the administration's propaganda effort.

Seriously, they should have laughed in her face.

[Ocelot II]

1. The follow-up question should have been:

"Why are you pissing on my head and telling me it's raining?"

[Dorothy V]

2. Confidence?

How in the everloving hell can I be confident when costs keep going up and my SS check, my main income, is under threat?!?

[Johonny]

3. I think that is a fair answer

He wants them to trust him, he thinks they should.

But clearly they fucking don't. He has no solution. Trump Whitehouse can only present Trumps world view that he is awesome

[ThoughtCriminal]

4. Better question: What is it not "Zero"?

A: Well... he might have stroke.

[Bettie]

5. Because the people making decisions for the country

are doing about as well as a meth-addled monkey might? Nah, the monkey would be more sane, less malicious.

[progree]

6. A couple of graphs

The original source: http://www.sca.isr.umich.edu/

Here's a couple of the graphs:


=========================================================



And links to three more:

Current Economic Conditions Index http://www.sca.isr.umich.edu/files/chiccr.pdf
Index of Consumer Expectations http://www.sca.isr.umich.edu/files/chicer.pdf
Expected Changes in Prices During the Next Five Years http://www.sca.isr.umich.edu/files/chpx5r.pdf

They also have Excel versions of all of the above.

All of the above are the 10 year graphs. They also have 50 year graphs, both PDF and Excel of all of the above.
http://www.sca.isr.umich.edu/charts.html

[Buns_of_Fire]

7. Clap for Tinkerbell, and she'll revive!

(Whereupon the entire WH press corpse -- those who haven't been expelled -- applaud enthusiastically.)