My guess is that the Obama Administration has thought all along that the economy will recover on its own by 2012 when Obama is up for reelection. That is why they passed a huge stimulus package that rewarded their backers, but did nothing for the economy. I think they also are not concerned about the likely fallout from pushing through an unpopular healthcare bill. A Republican takeover of Congress will give them someone to blame their lack of success. Assuming the economy recovers on its own, and unemployment falls, reelection of Obama is assured. Here are some similar thoughts. Mark Steyn has some similar thougths.