The fierce battles between New Democrat centrists and old-style liberals that defined the Democratic Party in the 1990s are long gone, with the party unified behind Barack Obama's economic agenda of universal health care, expensive federal programs and more regulation of the financial markets.

Tea Party attendees and health care town-hall protesters share the common belief that the extravagant spending of President Obama and the Democratic Party - absent any checks and balances - will eventually lead more people into government dependency, higher taxes, and, perhaps, our country's financial ruin.

Main Street versus Wall Street was the 2008 economic mantra of Democrat Barack Obama.

I belong to the Democratic Party.

Good riddance to the blatantly corrupt Democratic Party!

Developments in financial markets can have broad economic effects felt by many outside the markets.