Lost your job? Well, according to the New York Times, that doesn't mean you should stop going to work. The Times reported yesterday of the recession phenomenon of laid-off workers getting up, getting dressed, and going through the motions of employment. Career counselors quoted in the article say it helps maintain pride and good habits. Acting like everything is ok, or going to be ok, is actually helpful. Norman Vincent Peale was right.
It comes as no surprise, then, that since President Obama changed his rhetoric on the economy - shifting to the more positive, "fundamentals-are-strong" messages that he mocked last October - public optimism has followed - even with bad stories about unemployment numbers.
It would be an oversimplification to tie the eventual fate of Obama's presidency to the economy. Like Franklin Roosevelt, Obama's political future is tied to the perceptions of the economy. After all, FDR was re-elected twice while the Great Depression was still going on - and as his policies were extending it.
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