Echoes the G.O.P. Could Do Without

By JANICE CASTRO/

Are you better off than you were four years ago? The ECONOMIC POLICY INSTITUTE, a liberal Washington think tank, will soon release a detailed analysis of recent census data, and the Democrats can't wait to trumpet the economic findings. For the first time in postwar history, average wages and benefits have declined for four years straight, says the institute. Perhaps worse: wages of college-educated Americans, women and white-collar workers -- whose votes are crucial -- have been declining. Assuming Americans vote their pocketbooks, Democrats stand to gain.

With reporting by Wendy Cole