"The idea is that Democrats win presidential elections when the economy is performing badly, because voters want the strong safety net that Democrats promise. Republicans win elections when the economy is performing well, because voters don’t worry so much about the safety net and care more about low taxes, which they associate with Republicans." --Peter Coy, NYT, "Is It Possible the Democrats Were Hurt by a Strong Economy?" Theory is from L. Pastor & P. Veronesi, Chicago U finance professors