November 2010 Commentary: Lots of Thanks

It is election time again. In attempting to draw clear distinctions from political opponents, candidates (and pundits, too) often either shout for “change” or “stay the course”. Incumbents tend to do well at the polls when the status quo reflects a general acceptance by the public that things are going tolerably well and could be a lot worse. Challengers to the incumbents commonly succeed when the public perception is that things are bad and getting worse, if not intolerable.