Consecutive months of job growth, the bullish stock market and improving consumer demand appear to be benefiting – for now, at least – a president who stated outright three years ago that his chances for a second term would depend on his ability to persuade the country that its economy was on the mend by this very month.

In what could be a turning point, the percentage of people who say they believe the economic outlook is improving is now greater, by double digits, than the percentage of those who say they believe it is getting worse, a reversal from a low point in September, when pessimists outnumbered optimists by more than three to one.

NYT: Economic Growth Gives Lift to
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2012/02/15/us/politics/economic-gains-give-lift-to-obama-in-poll.xml

—
Some good trends, although we’ve had the same ones to start the last couple years.  A stronger U.S economy might do a bit to help alleviate pressures across the pond, which leads us into a virtuous economic cycle.  Time will tell, but 2012 could be a good year for the country (and a catastrophic one for Republicans…but I repeat myself).