Current polls show a curious dichotomy.
Decidedly more people today feel that they are in economic pain than felt it just three months ago. But, on the other hand, more Americans feel optimistic about the future than did when Bush took office. This latent optimism, even amid a consensus that things aren't so hot today, likely means that any recession will be short-lived. The drop in people's assessment of the current state of the economy's health is sharper and more dramatic than anyone would have predicted. In just over three months, voters have gone from assessing the economy's current condition as positive by 20 percentage points to seeing it as negative by 20 points.