Two of the Republican strategists expressed some bewilderment over public unhappiness with the economy. “I have been surprised [by] consistent data and focus groups [showing] how negative voters are about the state of the economy at a time where we are creating jobs, the markets are kind of up and down, and housing values are holding steady,” says Y. “People are bearish and don’t feel they’ll be better off next year.” They attribute the dissatisfaction to gas prices.