One thing I didn’t mention in my column: An Ipsos poll out this week finds rising familiarity with tariffs that is not turning into rising approval.
During the last nine months, the percentage of Americans who picked the correct definition of “tariffs” from a list rose from 45 to 55 percent.
Americans think tariffs “raise prices on goods I buy” (81 percent) and have raised prices on specific items they buy (71 percent). Only a minority believe that the price increases are “worth it to get what we want as a country” (29 percent) or that tariffs “will lead to more jobs in the U.S.” (24 percent). Answers to all those questions have moved in an anti-tariff direction during the last year.
Tariffs are not responsible for much of the persistently high inflation we’ve been going through. But no current Republican policy has a more direct effect on prices than tariffs. And another Republican policy — fighting Iran — has an indirect but obvious effect on prices. All of which adds to voters’ inclination to take out their frustrations about the economy on Republicans.