Aside from the prevailing domestic policies between the 2 parties, the economy is the only other major factor that determines U.S. prez' election.

The way it works is - if the economy really gets bad (which may very well be the Democrats only chance of unseating Bush since the fiasco that is Iraq is not enough to get Bush out of office), then everybody votes for a Democrat including traditional Republicans who normally despises Democrats policies that dis-enfranchises them.

This happened in '92 where the economy got so bad under Bush Sr. that most Americans including Republicans voted for a Democrat named Bill Clinton.

Conversely, the economy was good by 2000 that the traditional Republicans voted for Bush thereby catapulting him in office. Now that infuriated Democrats claiming it not fair, that when the economy is bad, a number of Republicans votes for a Democrat yet when the economy is good under a Democrat, they then vote back for a Republican.