WASHINGTON – Millions of Americans are desperate for work, runaway government spending clouds the future, and Democratic and Republican candidates are busy making one thing clear: They’re light years apart on what to do about it.

They do agree that in this election, the economy is everything. President Barack Obama calls it “the defining issue of our time.” But for voters wishing Washington would come together in a time of crisis, Obama, his Republican rival Mitt Romney and their congressional allies don’t offer much hope

Instead, they’ve taken to describing the gulf on economic policy in galactic terms. Romney must be “on a different planet,” an Obama adviser declares. The president is “living in an alternative universe,” the Republican Party chief says.