The 2016 presidential election is still more than a year away, but the Democrats and the team surrounding Vice President Joe Biden should focus on a warning issued by one of their own more than three decades ago.

In 1992, Democratic strategist James Caville used the phrase “It’s the economy, stupid” as a rallying cry for Bill Clinton’s presidential campaign.

The current administration’s “Bidenomics” are proving to be nothing but a disaster for average Americans, as a recent CBS News poll demonstrates.

CBS reported on Sunday that its poll reveals Biden’s overall approval rating to be 40%, the lowest of his presidency for CBS (though some surveys have placed him marginally lower at various points). With regard to the economy alone, Biden’s approval rating was even lower, at 34%, matching the lowest mark recorded in June of last year.

CBS POLL: President Biden's approval rating hits an all-time low

Approve 40%
Disapprove 60%

The Economy
Approve 34%
Disapprove 64%

CBS/YouGov (B+) | n=2,181 | 07/26-28https://t.co/c7cssfXrja pic.twitter.com/Byoy1U1a2I

— InteractivePolls (@IAPolls2022) July 30, 2023

It is not difficult for Americans with sight to understand why.

Even Americans willing to overlook the Biden administration’s string of self-inflicted catastrophes are confronted with daily reminders that the wrong man is in the White House and the wrong party is in charge.

Extreme partisans, knee-jerk liberals, and the mainstream media may be able to turn a blind eye to the ongoing, increasingly grave revelations of corruption within the first family.

They may be able to explain away the invasion of illegal immigration overrunning the southern border, the international disgrace of the Afghanistan withdrawal and kowtowing to China, the ostensibly Catholic president’s fervent support for taxpayer-funded abortions, and his party’s insane pretenses about the allegedly changeable nature of innate sex.

However, Americans who pay for their own meals recognize that “Bidenomics” have not been a boon to the nation.

“It’s not just whether one has a job, but what your wages can buy you. Most of those working say their pay is not keeping pace with rising prices,” CBS noted. “And even if the rate of inflation is slowing, those price hikes have clearly left their mark.

“Prices are the No. 1 reason people give when asked why they call the economy bad and the top reason given when they describe their personal financial situation as bad.”

Indeed, “prices” have a way of focusing the mind on the precise amount of money in the pocketbook or purse.

And according to the CBS survey, Americans are unhappy with the current state of affairs: CBS reports that among 2,181 respondents, 35% said they were falling behind financially, 52% said they were staying the same, and 13% said they were “getting ahead.”

(It’s likely that 13 percent of employees are involved in the “diversity, equity, and inclusion” scam or some other leftist scheme of the moment.)

Sixty-five percent classified the economy as “bad,” while only 29 percent deemed it to be “good.” And 70% of respondents said that their work income was not maintaining pace with inflation, compared to 30% who said it was.

This does not portend well for Biden’s reelection prospects.

In the same period of his presidency, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, former President Donald Trump witnessed a flourishing economy due to his pro-growth policies.

Even if the Democrats in Washington and their propaganda outlets in the conventional media feigned otherwise, everyone knew the times were good.

CNN reported that the U.S. inflation rate was 3 percent in June of this year, which may not seem significantly higher than 2019’s rate of 2.3%, but it followed inflation rates of 9 percent in June of 2022.

In other words, prices are increasing on top of previously increased prices.

Americans may not be exceptional mathematicians on average, but they are adept with numbers when it matters. And it matters a great deal when it comes to the quantity of food a family can buy, filling a car with gas, and paying expenses.

What should truly alarm Biden and his Democratic handlers is the fact that he’s netting 40 percent (and even that is probably too high) with the hideously biased mainstream media cheering him on, disregarding negative stories, or putting the best gloss on them.

This indicates that Americans are perceiving the propaganda for what it is, and it should serve as a wake-up call to the Biden White House and the Democrats who are banking on its success next year.

In 2024, regardless of who the Republican nominee is — whether it’s current front-runner Trump or one of his competitors — Americans will be able to make a distinct comparison.

When it comes to the phrase “it’s the economy, stupid,” one must consider whether the nation can afford another four years of a corrupt and ideologically deranged administration. The literal answer is no.

The nation cannot afford it. And neither can its electors, literally speaking.