Dr. Pitney on Economy and the Elections

From Dale Kasler’s article in the Sacramento Bee:

With the presidential primary season barreling its way toward California, the weakening economy has suddenly become the hot issue, elbowing Iraq and other concerns to secondary status.

That’s particularly true in California, which is suffering from the housing slump more than most states. It’s no coincidence that Democrat Hillary Clinton unveiled her $70 billion economic stimulus package at a Commerce union hall, or that rival Barack Obama has been holding economic forums with small groups of California voters.

“The economy is never far away from the voting booth,” said Jack Pitney, a professor of American politics at Claremont McKenna College in Southern California. “What changed (recently) is that the prospect of a recession looms even darker.”