One reason is that there is no reliable way to render an instant judgment about economic effectiveness, and the legacy that Obama inherited – coming to office in the middle of a major economic and financial catastrophe – clearly matters. President George W. Bush and Prime Minister Gordon Brown are obviously more responsible for the financial crisis than are their successors, who have to clean up the mess.
尽管如此，奥巴马似乎仍将在11月获得连任。一个原因是没有可靠的方法能够立刻判断其经济表现，而奥巴马所继承的烂摊子——他实在重大经济和金融灾难中入主白宫的——显然对经济现状有着巨大影响。小布什总统和布朗首相对金融危机的责任显然比替他们收拾残局的的继任者要大得多。