Democrats in the US are worried about November's mid-term elections, and they are right to be. On current numbers, Republicans will regain control of the House. The possibility that Democrats might also lose control of the Senate, in a year when the seats in play should rule this out, is taken seriously.

The economy is much to blame, of course. The political effects are direct and indirect. Voters are unhappy, which hurts the party in power. The electorate understands that George W. Bush bequeathed the recession, but if 18 months of remedial action have failed to work as hoped, blame begins to migrate.

This is the direct effect. The indirect effect, in a centre-right country that views big government sceptically, is that the faltering recovery calls the Democrats' larger ambitions into question. Can the US really afford healthcare reform, voters wonder? Is this a good time to be raising taxes, for redistribution, as the Democrats intend next year?