Meyerson: Economy So Bad, Re-election Will Be Hard

The economy will be so bad for so long that both parties will have to worry about getting re-elected for the foreseeable future, according to an op-ed in the Washington Post.

Voters will not be of a mind to forgive Congress or the sitting president when it comes to going back to the polls, writes Harold Meyerson.

“In the short term, the recovery looks shaky. In the long term, the economy looks shaky — so shaky that it may be many years before a president of either party or any ideology can count on winning a second term,” wrote the long-time opinion writer.

Meyerson, who describes himself as a “democratic socialist,” said the signs of recovery that began over the winter “have given way to spring doubts.”

“Weekly unemployment claims have risen and housing starts have declined. The specter of a new European recession threatens to stifle U.S. exports and endanger global finance,” he wrote.

“As currently constituted, the U.S. economy looks less and less capable of generating the kind of prosperity that a president, or a party, needs to ensure a long run in power.

Meyerson said should Mitt Romney beat President Barack Obama at the election it will be down to the country’s economic woes and not because the Republican is a better candidate.

“Nothing in Romney’s record suggests he would challenge these trends,” he said.