Recession already hitting key states

The GOP is not going to like hearing this news. They might actually have to defend their disastrous economic policies to voters.

The US as a whole may yet escape a recession. But important individual states – some with upcoming primaries – may already be mired in a slump.

"California, Arizona, Florida, Michigan, Wisconsin: they're in recession. [And] they account for 25 to 30 percent of the nation's GDP," said Mark Zandi, chief economist for Moody's Economy.com, at a Brookings Institution seminar last week.

Compounding the problem will be the massive increase in mortgage problems hitting the traditional swing state of Ohio. Mortgage-aid hotlines have been flooded with calls, with ten times the number of calls in the fourth quarter compared to the first quarter of 2007. There's a lot of explaining to do out there by the GOP and it ain't going to be pretty.