Obama's Strong Pitch to Women Prompts Romney Stumble

[Major Nikon]

36. Current reality matters more to elections than trends

So while you are correct in that all those things are up, for which Obama deserves considerable credit, the reality is that all of those things are still down considerably from recent highs.

Unemployment is almost double compared to what it was when Clinton left office.

Housing prices are nowhere near what they were in 2006 at the height of the bubble.

The stock market is just barely past the historical high levels in the 90's, which means 401K plans have been largely stagnant for the past 15 years, which is what matters to most voters.

Average middle class wages have been stagnant for decades.

That's why Rmoney has been able to paint the economy as poor, even though most trends are quite positive. Even though most indicators are positive, it takes a while for the average person to realize those gains. If your house is worth shit, you are out of a job, your pension plan is going nowhere, and/or your wages are stuck in the 80's, it's hard to convince the average person on the street that all is rosy.