Voters are increasingly angry about an economy in which wages are flat and costs keep rising. Costs cause the most tension, especially health care. Even as the housing crisis was breaking, a Wall Street Journal poll of adults from July 2007 found that “the cost of health care” ranked as the biggest economic issue (44%), with “jobs going overseas” ranking second (34%).

A January 2008 Washington Post poll of adults identified “health care cost” as the biggest problem (24%) followed immediately by “rising prices overall” (23%), especially gasoline (16%). Tellingly, people ranked “high taxes” near the bottom (12%).