The democrats have an abysmal record when it comes to ending costly wars. Spending in Washington will not decelerate any time soon, for it is far to convenient for all individuals concerned. It matters not who occupies the white house.
Problem is they were not real bad either. They were showing contraction but nowhere close to being a major disaster (yet) as many media pundits have been projecting since a year now (or make that since 2003). Also, ISM came in on the strong side (>50) after a weak Dec. number supporting the notion that the manufacturing sector is showing resilience. At this point, the question is not really how bad numbers are but what is baked in at current expectations.
how rare is rare? think in terms of 'random walk down wall street', the dude just happens to be the guy who call the right side of coin flips a few times.