{"id":2703590,"date":"2026-11-10T11:02:57","date_gmt":"2026-11-10T16:02:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignhow-republicans-can-take-back-the-affordability-issue\/"},"modified":"2026-11-10T11:13:09","modified_gmt":"2026-11-10T16:13:09","slug":"utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignhow-republicans-can-take-back-the-affordability-issue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignhow-republicans-can-take-back-the-affordability-issue\/","title":{"rendered":"How Republicans Can Take Back The &#8216;Affordability&#8217; Issue"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Futm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignhow-republicans-can-take-back-the-affordability-issue%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2703590&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Tuesday\u2019s midterms showed voter frustration over affordability, boosting socialist-leaning Democrats who promise Medicare-for-All, housing and tuition relief. Many Americans feel teh \u201cAmerican dream\u201d fading as tariffs and the Iran war drive up gas, housing and consumer prices. Polls show homeownership and car purchases out of reach for many. The author urges ending the Iran war and adopting market-based solutions-apprenticeships, more manufactured housing, tax parity for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/white-house-releases-list-of-president-trumps-accomplishments-and-it-is-historic\/\" title=\"White House Releases List of President Trump\u2019s Accomplishments \u2013  And It Is Historic!\">individual health insurance<\/a>, and payment reforms-to lower costs and force Republicans to offer credible alternatives.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Tuesday\u2019s midterm bloodbath continues a string of successes for socialist candidates that is upending traditional politics.\u00a0For generations, Americans believed that if they worked hard enough, they could live the life of their dreams. However, the American dream has faded for many, as the cost of living rises and the hallmarks of success, such as a home and a family, become a mirage. Many families have gone from one-income households to two working parents striving to make ends meet, struggling to find time to see their children if they choose to have them at all.  <\/p>\n<p>Democrats, and socialists in particular, see this change and promise a better life for more people while Republicans struggle to engage or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/politics\/2025\/12\/06\/trump-affordability-inflation-prices-economy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">dismiss the problem altogether<\/a>. The affordability crisis is real. A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/business\/2026\/02\/27\/affordability-homeownership-poll\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll<\/a> in February found that the American dream is slipping away for many middle-class families. Of those polled, 74 percent found a new car unaffordable, and, for those renting, 65 percent saw no prospect of owning a home.  <\/p>\n<p>The rising prices of gasoline and other goods, thanks largely to the Iran war and tariffs, pulled the American dream even further from them. Americans reelected President Trump and congressional Republicans in 2024 on promises to lower the cost of living and keep America out of foreign wars. Since then, their policies have made things worse.  <\/p>\n<p>Analysis by the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.federalreserve.gov\/econres\/notes\/feds-notes\/detecting-tariff-effects-on-consumer-prices-in-real-time-part-II-20260408.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Federal Reserve<\/a> found that the president\u2019s \u201cLiberation Day\u201d and other tariffs increased prices on consumer goods by 3.1 percent as of February, with <a href=\"https:\/\/libertystreeteconomics.newyorkfed.org\/2026\/10\/how-fast-do-tariffs-pass-through-into-consumer-prices\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">90 percent of tariffs<\/a> being passed on to consumers. Energy prices also surged since the president launched the war in Iran in February, making life harder still for most Americans as he veered between threats of attack and signs of peace. <\/p>\n<p>According to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bls.gov\/news.release\/archives\/cpi_10142026.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Bureau of Labor Statistics<\/a>, gasoline prices were 34.2 percent higher in September compared to last year, and fuel oil was 74.2 percent higher. In addition to prices at the pump, Americans have also paid more for air travel, shipping, and day-to-day consumer goods. Americans are making tough choices every day, unhelped by the president\u2019s glib comments that \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.reutersconnect.com\/item\/trump-says-gas-prices-will-drop-as-soon-as-iran-war-is-over\/dGFnOnJldXRlcnMuY29tLDIwMjY6bmV3c21sX1ZBNzA2NDMwMDQyMDI2UlAx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">we\u2019re going to have to pay a little bit more<\/a>\u201d for a drawn-out war they didn\u2019t believe in or support.<\/p>\n<p>These concerns and others explain why affordability was at the top of the agenda for so many voters \u2014 and why voters so resoundingly rejected Republicans. Democrats such as Sen.-elect <a href=\"https:\/\/abdulforsenate.com\/priority\/money-in-your-pocket\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Abdul El-Sayed<\/a> promise \u201cMedicare for All,\u201d affordable housing, and tuition-free universities, all with a bigger government funded by higher taxes and, inevitably, debt the country can\u2019t afford. It\u2019s socialism with a friendly face, and we know how it ends.<\/p>\n<p>If Republicans have any chance of survival, they must create and promote policies of their own that respond to these issues and make America affordable again. <\/p>\n<h2>Make America Affordable Again<\/h2>\n<p>First and foremost, the United States must end the Iran war so the Strait of Hormuz can reopen and trade can flow again. This will immediately lower gas prices and ease the uncertainty that has gripped the world.  <\/p>\n<p>Longer term, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-is-rekindling-obamacare-debates-here-are-the-candidates-stances\/\" title=\"Trump reignites Obamacare debates; candidates&#039; positions revealed\">market-based approaches<\/a> can increase affordability by lowering prices and the actual cost of living. This means more people can afford to live without relying on subsidies that ever-growing governments cannot afford. Policies to address these challenges are already out there and deserve more attention for their potential. These policies largely focus on disruptive innovation, where low-cost solutions provide an alternative to the high-cost status quo.  <\/p>\n<h2>Education<\/h2>\n<p>We see this in education, for example. Polling by the <a href=\"https:\/\/nationalparentsunion.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/National-Parents-Union-May-2026-Survey-Topline.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">National Parents Union<\/a> found that 76 percent of parents considered the cost of a college degree a big problem, and young people themselves have campaigned for student loan \u201cforgiveness.\u201d This isn\u2019t surprising, given that <a href=\"https:\/\/educationdata.org\/average-cost-of-college-by-year\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">fees have risen<\/a> by 229 percent in public universities and 178 percent in private universities between 1980 and 2025 when adjusting for inflation, compared to <a href=\"https:\/\/dqydj.com\/individual-income-by-year\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">median income growth<\/a> of only 31 percent over this time. <\/p>\n<p>Many <a href=\"https:\/\/www.indeed.com\/career-advice\/finding-a-job\/highest-paid-apprenticeships\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">companies<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bls.gov\/careeroutlook\/2017\/article\/apprenticeships_occupations-and-outlook.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">offer<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/apprenticareers.org\/high-quality-in-demand-apprenticeship-careers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">apprenticeships<\/a> to high school graduates as an alternative to college. This means young people can get the skills they need to thrive without shackling themselves to a lifetime of debt.<\/p>\n<h2>Housing<\/h2>\n<p>There are similar innovations in housing as well. House prices have soared in recent years, taking the dream of a home out of reach for many Americans. Analysis by <a href=\"https:\/\/economics.td.com\/us-east-coast-housing-adffordability\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">TD Economics<\/a> found that house prices rose by 48 percent for single-family homes nationally since 2019, reaching as high as 82 percent in New York. <\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.brookings.edu\/articles\/recent-immigration-brought-a-population-rebound-to-americas-major-metro-areas-new-census-data-show\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Brookings Institute<\/a> found that mass immigration, legal and illegal, contributed to 94 percent of population growth in major metro areas in 2023-24. Only one of the 55 major metro areas, Memphis, saw a population decline. The Federal Reserve Board of San Francisco estimated that illegal immigration <a href=\"https:\/\/www.frbsf.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/wp2026-23.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">contributed to 30 percent of house price growth<\/a> in metropolitan areas, weighted by employment levels, between 2021 and 2024.<\/p>\n<p>The midterm elections signal that immigration levels will likely increase, meaning housing supply must outpace demand to lower costs. This could be mitigated by encouraging movement to lower-cost areas. We see this already, where programs like Tulsa Remote are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tulsaremote.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">paying digital nomad workers<\/a> to relocate, taking advantage of the global platform the internet provides. <\/p>\n<p>New housing designs have also made homes more affordable. U.S. Census data <a href=\"https:\/\/www2.census.gov\/programs-surveys\/mhs\/tables\/time-series\/sitebuiltvsmh.xlsx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">shows<\/a> that the average manufactured home cost $123,300 in 2024, compared to $405,939 for site-built homes. Manufactured homes have also evolved from the \u201ctrailer homes\u201d of old to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.manufacturedhousing.org\/about-manufactured-homes\/crossmod\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Crossover Modern Homes (CrossMod)<\/a> that resemble site-built homes and qualify for traditional mortgages. The bipartisan \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/bipartisanpolicy.org\/issue-brief\/inside-the-deal-whats-in-the-final-21st-century-road-to-housing-act\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ROAD to Housing Act<\/a>,\u201d passed earlier this year, will increase access to manufactured homes among other policies to lower housing costs.<\/p>\n<h2>Health Care<\/h2>\n<p>Finally, market-based approaches can also lower costs of health care. Obamacare, passed in 2010, promised better access to care at lower costs, but instead, costs have predictably risen. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.commonwealthfund.org\/press-release\/2022\/new-state-state-report-37-states-workers-health-insurance-premiums-and\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Commonwealth Fund<\/a> reports that households in nearly half of U.S. states were underinsured because of high average deductible costs, compared to just one state in 2010.<\/p>\n<p>Obamacare also favors employer-based policies that worked in the 1940s when people had jobs for life, but not so well in the gig economy of today. Exempting individual insurance policies from taxes, as is done for employer-based policies, would increase access to these policies. It would also give workers and businesses alike more flexibility and incentivize a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/she-claimed-he-raped-her-he-said-he-didnt-without-any-additional-evidence-the-school-chose-to-believe-her\/\" title=\"She Claimed He Raped Her. He Said He Didn\u2019t. Without Any Additional Evidence, The School Chose To Believe Her.\">long-term relationship<\/a> between insurers and patients that encourages preventative care vital to avoiding long-term conditions such as diabetes. Insurers can also work with states and health care providers to create new, market-based payment models that reward results and encourage collaboration. Maryland, for example, has an <a href=\"https:\/\/coveredusa.org\/en\/blog\/maryland-medical-debt-all-payer-system\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">all-payer system<\/a> that means hospitals charge the same negotiated rate regardless of who insures them.  <\/p>\n<p>As these show, market-based policies can increase affordability and provide a sustainable alternative to the socialism promised by many Democrats. Republicans must acknowledge this problem at a national level and make an alternative that resonates with voters who no longer see \u201csocialism\u201d as the bogeyman it was in the Cold War era. If they don\u2019t, America will follow the path of Europe and will very likely share its fate.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Tony Perry is an analyst and author from Oklahoma living in England. His books include <a href=\"https:\/\/anthonyperryauthor.com\/a-fathers-choice\/\">A Father\u2019s Choice<\/a>, a memoir describing abortion from a man\u2019s point of view.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Socialists surge; American dream fades as costs rise<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3429,"featured_media":2703591,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/Dollar-Bills-in-a-Cart.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[18297,8017,76428,77517],"class_list":["post-2703590","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist","tag-affordability","tag-cost-of-living","tag-economic-policy-2","tag-republican-politics-2"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/Dollar-Bills-in-a-Cart.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2703590","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3429"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2703590"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2703590\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2703597,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2703590\/revisions\/2703597"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2703591"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2703590"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2703590"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2703590"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}