As a news story, the economy has been overshadowed lately by war abroad, a border crisis at home, and the escalating fight between President Obama and congressional Republicans on a variety of fronts.

But in the long run of presidential politics, the economy is still pretty much the only story that really matters, and, while there’s been some good news in recent days, there are plenty of troubling indications that today’s economic unhappiness will dominate our politics for years to come.