Fooling yourselves..

Americans grim on economy ahead of midterms

By Eric Bradner

Americans' view of the economy is increasingly dour -- though a majority expect things to turn around next year, a new poll shows.

Just 38% of Americans believe the economy is in good shape, a CNN/ORC International poll of 1,018 adults, conducted Oct. 24-26, found. That's down from 42% in September -- and it could hurt Democrats' chances of holding onto the Senate in the Nov. 4 midterm elections.

Wednesday's survey found that 62% rated economic conditions as "somewhat poor" or "very poor".

The poll found that urban Americans have a rosier view of the economy, with 43% saying it's in good shape compared to 39% of those surveyed in suburban areas and 31% in rural areas.

The bigger difference, though, is between the 55% of Democrats who say the economy is performing well and the 28% of Republicans who agree. Just 32% of independent voters say the economy is in good shape.

"With the economy remaining the top issue on the voters' minds, the downturn in positive views of the economy could not have come at a worse time for Democrats," said CNN Polling Director Keating Holland.

The downtick ends what had been a year-long trend of increasingly positive views of the economy.

But a slim majority of those surveyed said they're confident things will improve, with 52% saying they believe the economy will be in good shape a year from now while 46% said it'll be in poor shape.

The economy isn't the only measure of the country's mood ahead of next week's elections. A CNN/ORC International poll released Tuesday found that 68% of Americans say they're angry about the way things are going in the United States.

It also showed that 36% of Republicans are enthusiastic about voting this year, while just 26% of Democrats say they are. That difference could be key in some House districts, and with control of the Senate on the line.