It's The Economy, Stupid!

On a day when the Washington Post absurdly examines what one commenter calls "the Elks Club demographic" in Pennsylvania and worries if Obama can win more of the grumpy old man vote, a real reporter at the Los Angeles Times takes a look at pocketbook voters.
I don't believe for a minute that the Obama campaign doesn't have this group at the top of its list, and they really do count.

Four years ago, exurbs in Florida, Ohio, Nevada and Colorado were especially important to Bush's reelection. Targeted by Karl Rove, the architect of Bush's victory, they were full of families escaping crowded schools and other downsides of city and suburban life. They were more consumed with the demands of everyday life than politics, but were open to the Republican messages of family values and low taxes. To Rove, these communities were an important piece of his plan to build a lasting GOP majority. And Bush made a strong stand, winning 97 of the 100 fastest-growing counties.

...Since Bush was reelected in 2004, according to a Times analysis, the average cost of gas to drive both ways of the 26-mile commute between the Wrencrest subdivision and downtown Tampa in a typical passenger car has more than doubled, from $4.36 to $9.22.