[casuist]

You don't take into account good feelings. However, good feelings are important when you're talking about public consumption and factually DO lead to people opening their wallets.

Even for those without jobs or uncertain about whether they will have a job? What about their feelings? Say I accept your theory, I would still insist that until the structural problems occasioned by, or that caused the crisis, are resolved, there will be few good feelings to go around. People are not going to spend or, worse, run up their credit card bills again, just because Republicans are in office. If they're smart they're going to pay down their debts, spend as little as possible, and perhaps invest in commodities as a hedge against inflation if they have any surplus at all.

[Siena Dreaming]

If we start hearing that companies are beginning to hire based on a more favorable business climate, many of those unemployed people you're talking about will also begin to feel good. Unless, of course, they were comfortable taking unemployment.

People are not going to spend or, worse, run up their credit card bills again, just because Republicans are in office. If they're smart they're going to pay down their debts, spend as little as possible

No, it's not the Repubs. It's the pro-business climate they will help create. I'm not saying people are going to run up their credit cards. But a better climate will begin to prevail where people won't be as scared and even the little guy will again feel confident to invest a little.