Maybe one of the paradigm shifts that is coming is that people will no longer use the stock market as their measure of how well the economy is doing.
Over the past 30 or so years, with middle class incomes stagnant or declining, the "free market is god" crowd pointed to the gains in the stock market or the rise in housing prices as proof that their economic model was working for everyone....and I guess if your 401(k) is growing and your house is worth more then you don't feel so bad about not getting raises that keep up with inflation or your co-workers having their jobs shipped to India while the CEO gets $100 million for wrecking the company and underfunding your pension plan.
Maybe now that this "paper wealth" that was created by "supply side economics" is gone, people will look at other, more logical indicators, like the unemployment rate, poverty rate, median income, etc.
Also, EVEN IF we were to use the stock market as our indicator....the market is fickle, always has been, always will be, and the idea that it's fucked up right now because of anything Obama has done, when he's only been in office for a month, is ridiculous.
Rush Limbaugh tried to make hay out of the fact that the Dow dropped 200 points on inaguration day. Funny how he didn't have anything to say when it gained all 200 points plus a few more back the very next day. One thing had nothing to do with the other.
You ideological right wing idiots only care about the data when it supports your ideology, if it doesn't then you ignore it.
