Patchwork Nation:

If you look at the Patchwork Nation map at the front of this site, you will notice some differences as of Friday. A small number of counties have changed categories.

What’s new in this downturn is how far out the problems are reaching. For many years, Lakeside Mall was considered a distant and upscale outpost of Detroit – surrounded by Lexus dealers and expensive stores. But life is not very comfortable now. The unemployment rate here sits right near the national average at about 10 percent.

In a world of tight credit and joblessness, low- and middle-income people often find themselves in difficult financial straits. A unique and controversial type of business has emerged, primarily within the past 20 years, to respond to these situations: payday lenders. They make up a large part of what is called the “fringe” banking market – providing services to people who have poor credit or no bank account.

With his first State of the Union address Wednesday night, President Obama will try to regain momentum for his agenda and help the Democratic Party stave off big losses in the fall midterm elections. That’s not an easy job by any stretch of the imagination. But it may be even harder than some imagine.

After last Tuesday’s defeat in the Massachusetts Senate race, the Democratic Party is in scramble mode. President Obama is bringing in adviser and strategist David Plouffe, who ran the president’s 2008 campaign, with the hope of preventing any more surprises or damage in 2010.Much of what happens this November, however, may be determined by one of Patchwork Nation’s 12 community types in particular, the “Monied ’Burbs” – and there is reason for the Democrats to be concerned about them.