http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20040418-113743-1925r.htmEconomy bolsters Bush campaign
By Donald Lambro
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
...Housing construction, home ownership, manufacturing, consumer spending and retail sales are all up substantially, encouraging business economists to raise their economic growth forecasts from 4 percent to 5 percent and to predict that the spurt in job creation will continue for the rest of this year. "Usually in a recovery, you jump to the higher levels of job creation and stay there, and that is what's going to happen," said American Enterprise Institute economist Kevin Hassett, who predicted March's 300,000-plus increase in new jobs.
...Chicago economist Brian Wesbury, who maintains close ties with the Bush administration, thinks the latest job growth numbers are underestimated and will be even larger in the months to come.
... But recent polling data reflecting March's big spurt in new jobs suggests that voter perceptions about the U.S. economy have begun turning in Mr. Bush's favor. The National Annenberg Election Survey reported Friday that the "percentage of people saying the Bush administration's policies made the economy worse dropped from 41 percent in late March to 36 percent in April. The share saying they had made the economy better rose from 26 percent to 30 percent."
... A poll conducted for the Associated Press earlier this month to gauge people's biggest concerns found a precipitous drop among those who mentioned the economy as their chief worry — falling from 31 percent last July to 18 percent now