What Matters -- and What Doesn't

Click here for the latest from James J. Cramer.

Bush should keep winning! Every time he does, the futures go up limit! The confluence of politics and economics has rarely seemed more ridiculous than during this post-election era.

If you are still buying stocks because you are increasingly confident of a Bush presidency, may I respectfully suggest that you read less about politics and more about the business cycle?

Other than when the government gets directly involved in earnings, either through mass tort liability (as in the case of tobacco or asbestos), or in regulation of pricing over Medicare, you don't have to care who is president, provided that the president believes in balancing the budget.

If the president believes in busting the budget, it doesn't matter what stock you buy, it will probably go down. If he believes in balancing it, he is allowing Greenspan to keep us out of recession with Fed eases when they are necessary. Everything else is just hokum.

---

James J. Cramer is manager of a hedge fund and co-founder of TheStreet.com. At time of publication, his fund had no positions in any stocks mentioned. His fund often buys and sells securities that are the subject of his columns, both before and after the columns are published, and the positions that his fund takes may change at any time. Under no circumstances does the information in this column represent a recommendation to buy or sell stocks. Cramer's writings provide insights into the dynamics of money management and are not a solicitation for transactions. While he cannot provide investment advice or recommendations, he invites you to send comments on his column to James J. Cramer .