There are plenty of important issues in the 2024 elections, but by most measures, the state of the economy is the dominant electoral concern, and voters' attitudes about the economy will very likely dictate the outcome.

With this in mind, Republicans desperately want Americans to believe that the nation is on the brink of economic collapse. Reality is telling a very different story. The New York Times reported:

Fresh employment data for September showed that hiring picked up strongly, the unemployment rate dipped and wage growth came in strong - adding to a string of recent data pointing to economic resilience. And the incoming evidence points to a clear conclusion: The economy is robust. Data revisions released last week showed that growth has been stronger and incomes have been more solid than previously understood. Retail sales data are holding up. And now, employers appear to be meeting resilient consumer demand by continuing to expand their work forces.

It was against this backdrop that a reporter asked Donald Trump on Friday, "Jobs are up, the stock market hit an all time high. Do you acknowledge that the economy is improving?"

"No," the former president said. "It's not."

One of the most frustrating things about the 2024 election cycle is the Republicans' willingness to simply create an alternate reality that voters are supposed to embrace. And when the evidence leaves little doubt that the U.S. economy is on strong footing, Republicans tell voters not to believe their lying eyes.

If reality were a stronger force in this year's elections, Trump and his party would be in real trouble.

This is the story of Trump's complete takeover of the GOP, turning it into a lie-fueled, conspiracy-driven, post truth entity untethered to anything resembling demonstrable facts and observed reality. And far too many Americans are making decisions and choices based upon false or discredited information spewed from the highest rungs of what's supposed to be a responsible political party.

All Trump and his Republican lemmings do daily is continuously yell "Fire" in the theater of public news and information, causing undue stress and strain upon those dealing with and addressing numerous issues as they exist in reality.