Ezra Klein‘s latest Newsweek column focuses on the substantial impact of the economy on election results. Riffing on the classic James Carville line, Klein titles his column “It’s Always the Economy, Stupid.”

After spelling out the close links between income growth and vote totals, Klein offers this assessment:

In some ways
that?s comforting: politicians are judged more on the condition of the
country than on the elegance of their campaign.

But for the Obama administration, it?s likely
chilling: the economy is still weak, and there aren?t 60 votes in the
Senate for further stimulus. And even if those votes materialized
tomorrow, it is too late for them to make a major difference in the
economy before November.

Because Klein’s politics lean left, he ends the paragraph by arguing “Democrats needed to pass a bigger stimulus back in 2009, not in late 2010.” He could learn a lesson from Roy Cordato: