Frankly, I'm sick of hearing "it's the economy, stupid," both the medium and the message. Yes, it was a catchy Carville phrase 18 years ago, but, in the meantime, it's lost its luster being uttered by every talking head and tucked into every blog post each time any elected official shows any sign of being politically confused. I get it. It's no longer a fresh idea; it's a crutch used to embody a stale philosophy when one's got nothing new to say.
I live in Guatemala, where we frequently experience "seismic activity," which is to say that the earth ceases to be bedrock, the room shakes like it's 3am, and those of us who have never lived in regions prone to such attacks start to understand what it's like to fear the ground you walk on.