I actually disagree with that: The American public is already convinced that the economy is in the tank now, and they pretty much know who is to blame. A President who is viewed as empathetic and trustworthy should be able to bring America together and keep them on board through the necessary sacrifices in much the same way as FDR did when faced with an economy which was even worse than ours is now.
FDR - -
Won election in 1932 and took office in March of 1933. That was three years after the market collapse and well into the Depression. "Hoovervilles" had sprung up on the outskirts on nearly every city and town. The Bonus Marchers had been attacked by MacArthur.
The 2008 election will take place only about a year into the current economic contraction. The economic shocks of oil increases and food prices are only just now beginning to filter through the economy. Much of the reckoning will take place after Bush is out of office.
In an age when lapel pins and the amount of sniper fire on a remote runway draw all the media attention in a presidential year, I fear that many Americans will blame whoever is the sitting president. Not to mention that the days of listening to the president's fireside chats with reverent awe are long over.
