Influence of politics on the economy

I have often written that I don't believe that politicians and their policies hold a significant sway on the economy when the claim they can improve it, especially in the short term.  Granted, smart and only long-term governmental policies may have some positive influence on future economic development.

What unfortunately is true however for the short term is that politicians have a huge influence on hampering the economy through their actions, statements and aggressive posturing. We had that happened last Fall during the budget limit crisis.

In summary, politicians, which are the biggest problem we have, are pretty much impotent at making things better, but are incredibly skilled in screwing things up for all of us.