In the early days of the 2004 race Democratic candidates did well running on the Bush Administration dreadful economic record. Later in 2004 the economy sent out some mixed signals (the occasional good job report, always followed by a correction and bad month, for example) that were "spinnable" by the GOP to indicate that things were looking up.
Now they're looking worse than ever:
NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - After cruising along for much of 2004 and the start of this year, the U.S. economy may be having engine problems.
Economists and investors who were confident about the pace of growth only a week or two ago are suddenly much more concerned about a slowdown in the months ahead.
As the first-quarter earnings reporting period speeds up next week and key economic reports are released the next two weeks, there will be talk about whether factors such as high gas prices and rising short-term interest rates could choke off growth in the months ahead.
Clouds gather on Wall St. (More...)
It's always dicey to base a long campaign on the sate of the economy, but I think if we continue the message on the poor stock market, the weak dollar, lackluster job numbers, gas prices, etc. it could pay off in 2006. I think after the election we took our eye off this ball, probably because Kerry and Edwards were running point on the issue.
Who can step up and continue to beat this drum? The message is simple: The GOP = bad economy.