Listen Now!  (5:11 Minutes)

Download the MP3  (1.7 MB)

• More Press-Enterprise Podcasts
• Podcast/iTunes FAQ
• Download the Latest iTunes Software

This time, economy beats war -

DENVER - The sluggish U.S. economy is front-and-center during this week's Democratic National Convention, a marked shift from four years ago when the party emphasized challenging Republicans' handling of the war in Iraq and national security.

Complaints about high gas prices, surging foreclosures, lack of health care and other domestic concerns have dominated this convention's message.

"We're back to, 'It's the economy, stupid,' " said professor Barbara O'Connor, director of the Institute for the Study of Politics and the Media at Cal State Sacramento, referring to a slogan of advisers to Democrat Bill Clinton in the 1992 campaign.

"The economy was fine in 2004 but the battle was not going well in Iraq," O'Connor said.

There are different accounts about whether the situation in Iraq has improved, she said, "But when you're concerned about paying the rent, feeding the kids and losing jobs, that takes precedence over any abstract notions of democracy and war   Read Full Article...