I was listening to the Diane Rehm show this morning, and they were talking about yesterday's primaries in several states and the political implications. I had to call in. And I was on the verge of getting on when I got a telephone call that I had to take, and when I got back to the Diane Rehm show call I guess they had called on me and passed cause I wasn't there. Oh well, that's life.

But what I was going to say was that I think that people in general are not going to make up their minds until the very last minute in November. And here is why I say that:

First, most everyone remembers what shambles the republicans left the economy and the nation in general. I think most people are very leery about going back to that so soon. But, people are worried about the economy and the unemployment, and while I think most people think the Obamas are sincere and that Pres. Obama is smart and likable, the news on the economy has been bad enough lately and there is enough uncertainty that Obama can turn it around that people may, in desperation, look for an alternative, and there aren't many. And that is going to lean toward the republicans.

But, as I wrote before, the big corporations can't stand the stagnancy in the economy, an if they take some of the cash that they have stashed and start investing it in workers, there is going to be a more general improvement direction in the economy rather than the one step forward one step back that we are going thru now. Several consecutive steps forward will instill some confidence in the public, and perhaps enough that if there is even a couple weeks or maybe even a couple days before the election and the news turns more broadly positive, even if it is still bad, I think people may be willing to give Obama the benefit of the doubt simply because the prospect of going back to the republicans seems so bad.

So...I still think that the big corporate heads may not be able to wait out the economy until the elections. I think they may start hiring and spending before then. If that happens, the republicans are not going to gain as much as everyone thinks.