The great burrito debate burst onto the social media scene this week after Turning Point USA's Andrew Kolvet posted that the Gen Z voters at his events are upset that the Mexican wraps cost $20 these days.Reaction was swift, heated and mixed, with some commenters saying this proved prices and affordability are a major red flag for the GOP in the midterms.But others scolded the youths, claiming that "in their day," they survived five years on nothing but ramen noodles, peanut butter and the kindness of strangers.The fairly obvious subtext to this debate is the war in Iran, as team "cheap burritos" insists the war must end now to bring down prices and win in November, and team "suck it up, kids" argues that long-term economic success requires winning the war.REPUBLICANS FACE TICKING MIDTERM CLOCK AS IRAN FALLOUT KEEPS PRESSURE ON GAS PRICESThe real question, for Republicans and the Trump administration, is just how angry are Americans over prices, and will that anger make them choose Democrats over the status quo?Andrew Kolvet, producer of 'The Charlie Kirk Show,' speaks during the public memorial service for Charlie Kirk at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on Sep.t 21.
(Patrick t.Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)To answer this question, it is important to understand that there are two kinds of political issues: gut and mental.
Crime, for example, is a gut issue, because if you don’t feel safe on the street you feel it in your gut.Foreign policy, on the other hand, for most Americans, is a mental issue in that you think about it more than you feel it.Affordability and prices can be a gut issue, and have been in several recent elections.
If you are in line at the grocery store watching the tally rack up and hoping you have enough money for it, that is something you feel in the pit of your stomach.In the fall of 2024, I was in Bedford, Pa., talking to some voters when a woman walked into the restaurant and, apropos of nothing, announced, "I cannot believe how mu...