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Cheney recently predicted that the Republicans would prevail in the midterm elections partly because the U.S. economy is "kicking along in very good shape." Most American's do not agree with Cheney's rosy view of the economy as only 37 percent of Americans support Bush's handling of the economy, according to AP-Ipsos polling in early August.Polling data shows the American public have a bleaker view of the country's direction than at any time in more than two decades; That translates into trouble for the GOP. For whatever the reason, Bush and the Republican party do not hear the American people as they increasing declare the Bush economy doesn't work for them as they suffer stagnating wages, skyrocketing health care costs and record-high gas and electricity prices.
Increasing numbers of people who voted for Bush and other Republicans in the past have decided to walk away from the party as families are forced to spend ever-larger portions of their diminishing paychecks to keep up with energy and healthcare costs. Since Bush took office in 2001, gross domestic product per person in the U.S. has expanded 8.4%, adjusted for inflation, but the average weekly wage has edged down 0.3%. In early 2001 the average national gas price was under $1.50, one year ago it was $2.14, and today, it's over $3.00. Over the past five years, gasoline prices are up 71 percent and the price of crude oil has more than tripled from about $22 per barrel to over $70 per barrel.
As President Lincoln said "You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time." Republican "happy talk" that fooled all the people some of the time isn't working any more. Even the size of the Republican base, that allow themselves to be fooled by the "happy talk" all the time, is shrinking.
