\u201cAffordability\u201d has become the word of the month as American economic anxieties become a major point of political contention between Democrats and Republicans.<\/p>\n
Socialist Democrat Zohran Mamdani rode to victory in the New York City mayor\u2019s race in part due to his promise to address the issue. Of course, he offered what socialists have been selling to the public for more than a century: free stuff, all paid for by the \u201crich,\u201d the \u201cbillionaires,\u201d or in Mamdani\u2019s case, white neighborhoods<\/a> in the city.<\/p>\n But talk is one thing, reality is another. Will the kind of government intervention Mamdani and others are promising deliver positive results for the American people?<\/p>\n So far, it hasn\u2019t. President Donald Trump and those who seek to stem this socialist tide have a serious rebuttal to the idea that the Left can deliver.<\/p>\n At the highest level, it\u2019s Trump\u2019s work on foreign policy, on trade, and the implementation of the \u201cOne Big Beautiful Bill\u201d that may determine how much the U.S. economy revs up next year. Many Americans are nevertheless discontented with the way things are going. And that is a huge red flag for Trump<\/a> and Republicans.<\/p>\n A lot depends on what happens to the economy on the macro, national scale, but it\u2019s still awfully rich to hear Democrats suddenly embrace affordability as an issue<\/a> given their abysmal record on it.<\/p>\n In fact, the huge gap between red states and blue states on affordability highlights the reality of the parties\u2019 policies.<\/p>\n Even some figures on the Left acknowledge that Democrats have a huge problem on the issue.<\/p>\n CNN\u2019s Fareed Zakaria noted this problem for the Left on a recent episode of his show while commenting on the government shutdown that accomplished about as much as Sen. Cory Booker\u2019s record-breaking phony<\/a> \u201cfilibuster.\u201d<\/p>\n He said the shutdown<\/a> revealed that Democrats have promised big on so many programs, like Obamacare, but the results have been costly and ineffective.<\/p>\n \u201cIf America has an affordability crisis, it tends to be in places Democrats govern, like New York, Illinois, and California, which all feature high taxes, soaring housing costs, and stagnant outcomes in basic areas like education and infrastructure,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Zakaria pointed to New York City, where the incoming mayor-elect has promised a whole host of \u201cfree\u201d programs at the public expense. The CNN anchor asked rhetorically, \u201cWhat happened to the money already raised?\u201d<\/p>\n In 2012, he said, \u201cthe city\u2019s budget was about $65 billion. Today it is about $116 billion, an increase of more than 75% in just over a decade. Spending has soared while the subway deteriorates. Housing costs rise and public schools remain mediocre despite spending more than $36,000 per pupil last year, the highest in the nation among major school districts.\u201d<\/p>\n For all the talk of an \u201cabundance\u201d agenda that\u2019s going nowhere<\/a>, the reality is that Democrat-run cities and states are where abundance is squandered and \u201caffordability\u201d is a slogan to sooth the conscience of the rich as the middle class shrinks and seeks greener pastures.<\/p>\n A study at UC Berkeley released<\/a> in April noted that the significant gap in affordability between red and blue states has been consistent over the last 15 years. According to the study, \u201cthe average blue state was 13% more expensive, overall, than the average red state.\u201d<\/p>\n The study pointed to the cost of housing being the biggest factor, but it\u2019s clear that on a whole host of issues Democrat policies drive up prices.<\/p>\n There\u2019s typically a wide gap on energy policies, with Democrats focusing on various green and \u201crenewable\u201d energy sources. While these government-subsidized industries have often enriched a few, for the most part they have been both cost prohibitive and insufficient<\/a> for America\u2019s growing energy needs.<\/p>\n \u201cOver the past two decades, the divergence in electricity rates among U.S. states has grown increasingly stark,\u201d noted a paper on electricity costs published by The Heritage Foundation<\/a> in 2024.<\/p>\n The cost gap was mostly between red and blue states.<\/p>\n \u201cA key factor driving these divergences is the adoption of renewable energy mandates, carbon emission\u2013reduction goals, and cap-and-trade schemes, primarily in states with Democratic leadership. States that have required renewables, particularly wind and solar energy, to be used in electricity production often experience higher electricity costs due to the regulatory burdens placed on traditional energy sources, such as natural gas and coal.\u201d<\/p>\n Even discounting the economic data, the evidence of the divide on affordability can be seen quite clearly on how Americans have been voting with their feet.<\/p>\n An analysis of IRS and census data by the organization Unleash Prosperity found that a \u201cmassive shift\u201d in internal migration has been happening in America the last few decades.<\/p>\n