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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Lizzie Tudor who wrote (536279)	2/5/2004 9:35:08 PM
From: Lizzie Tudor	Read Replies (4) \| Respond to of 769670

It's the economy, again Tuesday's primaries and caucuses gave a major boost to Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, who won five of the seven races in his quest for the Democratic presidential nomination. But more important than what the results say about Kerry's political fortunes is what they reveal about voters' top concern: It's the economy again, stupid. Surveys in five states conducted after voters cast ballots showed the economy, jobs and health care as the issues that mattered most. In South Carolina, which has been hit hard by a loss of manufacturing jobs, nearly half cited the economy as their No. 1 issue. Overall, eight in 10 voters said the national economy was poor or not so good, and roughly half said their own financial situation had worsened from four years ago. Those deep-seated worries send a distress signal that the statistics showing a growing economy for the past two years haven't translated into good-paying jobs and affordable health care for millions of Americans. And they warn the candidates running for president that they need to address those concerns in a meaningful way. The anxiety is real: Jobs. Manufacturing payrolls are down 2.8 million since 2000. In spite of a boom in economic output during the second half of 2003, jobs have been created at the slowest rate for any expansion since World War II. Wages. For those with jobs, average wages fell slightly in December, the first drop in more than a year. In the past two years, average incomes have risen less than half a percent after adjusting for inflation. Health care. Workers with health insurance have seen their premiums rise nearly 14% in the past year. Meanwhile, 43.6 million Americans have no insurance. The economic worries at a time of economic growth are reminiscent of conditions in the country in 1992. Then, economic indicators of a robust expansion meant little to voters concerned about finding work or losing their health insurance. Those issues dominated the election. And the first President Bush lost to Bill Clinton, whose campaign adopted the slogan "It's the economy, stupid," as a reminder that voters give high priority to pocketbook issues. Unlike 1992, the nation still is scarred by Sept. 11, 2001. Another terrorist attack could shift voters' focus from economic to national security. For now, though, voters are asking tough questions about their economic future. How the candidates answer can make for a vital national conversation this campaign season. usatoday.com