A trifecta of economic disaster. A telling area is Elkhart, a center for the RV industry. Look at what could all go wrong:
1. a scary economic meltdown. When people are comparing 2008 to 1929, that's horrid for the incumbent's Party.
2. a credit crunch. Even if many RVs are paid for in cash, many are bought on time-payment plans. When credit tightens, consumer purchases flee from big-ticket consumer items. RV's are about as big-ticket as one gets short of housing.
3. Soaring petroleum prices. There was speculative activity in petroleum as the last speculative game in town. I once saw gas prices at $5.49 a gallon in the autumn of 2008. (That would crash). RV's devour gasoline like a tiger devours meat.
By 2012 all of those were over, and Indiana voters went back to voting R.
