Reply #26: Yes, they will.

[Igel]

Remember Clinton's election? "It's the economy, stupid?" Well, a lot of people were convinced that we were in a recession for the election in 1992. A lot thought we were in a recession until Clinton's stimulus package was implemented.

The recession ended a good ways before the 1992 elections. Unemployment had come down a bit before the 1992 elections and continued to fall after the elections.

It's not the absolute unemployment rate. It's not whether or not we're in recession. It's not about externally available facts. It's how wealthy and well off people perceive themselves.

Now look at 2005-2008. Dems ridiculed the economy greatly in 2005 and 2006. The unemployment rate usually cited--equivalent to the 10.2% that we so dislike now--was under 5% until 2008. So were people happy? Did you hear GOPers enthusiastically saying that surely the dems have nothing to gripe about? But people didn't *feel* better off.

It works the same in other areas. The $400 billion deficit--with $200 billion being "stimulus", passed with not insignificant dem support--in 2008 was deemed untenable, a horror to behold. Notice that we were already in the recession as NERB came to define it, so deficit spending should be retroactively dubbed "good". But it wasn't and isn't. In fact, we sit and complain about how GOPers are shortsighted, both not decrying a $400 billion deficit and saying nasty things about a $1.4 trillion deficit.