Why do so many pundits think the economy is not going to be

an issue next year? Just watched the Stephanoupolus Round Table. They say the economy is improving yet I keep reading about more and more layoffs and this humungous deficit.

:grr:

...a "jobless recovery" doesn't mean jack shit. If its jobless, it's not a recovery, it's just corporations making their workers work harder, for less money, and fewer benefits. That means improvement for the bottom line, which is all Bush and the GOP are concerned with, but it means jack all to the people...

that the economy is getting better.

and company profits instantly go up. So do stock prices because it looks good on the company books.

The price of gas is rising, and there is back to school shopping.

So they talk about consumer spending being up.

A temporary blip.....and they immediately hype it as 'recovery' hoping to convince people things are 'back to normal' and that people will now behave 'normally'

It's psychological...like the market goes up and down on rumors.

They want it to be a 'self-fulfilling prophecy'

Bird brain in the sand, humongus ass in the air?

Assuming that if they aren't looking at the problem, no one else can see it?

The recession officially ended in November of 2001. Twenty months later, and increase in the economy's growth rate has not translated into more jobs. Lots of people think it is just a matter of time, that sometime between now and November 2004 that the unemployment rate will drop and Bush will say: "see, my tax cut worked" (which he is already saying). In the last recession there was a 15 month lag between the GDP recovery and the employment recovery - a lag which happened to occur during the election.
I am more optimistically pessimistic, but we probably should be preparing for the worst (the "worst" in this case being a recovering economy that aids Bush's election). I think the economy is weaker than they think because of a) job cuts in state, city, and schools that will continue to have a downward ripple effect and b) this recent jump in gas prices which will drive costs up and production and consumption down and c) higher interest rates due to the deficit which will slow the housing and refinancing boom which has been propping up the economy so far. But I am always pessimistic about the economy since I have yet to see an economy strong enough to provide me with a decent job.

and they are intimidated by the prospect of retalitation, in the event they provide an honest analysis. As long as they lie and conceal, they know that at least they have job security.

For the present. Once the country has had enough- which eventually it will because unfortunately things are going to keep getting worse, there are going to be A LOT of people anxious to go Madame DeFarge on their asses.