Support for Stimulus Package Falls to 37%

[Pryderi]

Source: Rasmussen Poll

Wednesday, February 04, 2009

Support for the economic recovery plan working its way through Congress has fallen again this week. For the first time, a plurality of voters nationwide oppose the $800-billion-plus plan.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 37% favor the legislation, 43% are opposed, and 20% are not sure.

Two weeks ago, 45% supported the plan. Last week, 42% supported it.

Opposition has grown from 34% two weeks ago to 39% last week and 43% today.



Read more: http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/business/economic_stimulus_package/support_for_stimulus_package_falls_to_37

---

Looks like the Right Wing Noise Machine is alive and well. :mad:

[anonymous171]

1. It appears that things need to get worse, much worse.

Tax cuts look a lot less appealing when you have no income to tax and increased government spending looks a lot better when you can't feed your family.

[Davis_X_Machina]

40. Things aren't remotely bad enough yet.

The salient fact in American politics -- and we forget it at our peril -- is that there are usually enough people in this country to elect a president who would volunteer to live with their family in a cardboard box under a bridge, and eat sparrows toasted on an old curtain rod, if you could promise them that the black, or Mexican, or gay guy in the next box over doesn't even get the sparrow.

Look at this through the eyes of the average American: not enough people, not enough of the right people -- and that means 'people like me' -- are suffering badly enough yet to overcome the petty, the mean, and the stupid. Not suffering enough to begin to see Others for real people. Not enough to risk Them getting some of my money.

Even in the depths of the Depression, Social Security was able to receive passage because the original legislation excluded domestics and agricultural workers -- in other words, Them.

[Deja Q]

2. Well, how can more tax cuts help pay anything back?

Why are people still for them?

Will tax cuts bring in jobs? We were told that once every year for, what, 8 years, and jobs keep going bye-bye in tandem with tax cuts.

Do the people who think the cuts will help bother to calculate how much, annually, it will affect them? (In a word: "Naah".)

[Rayander]

10. No need for stimulus plan

If every American could enjoy the same tax break as Daschle, Geithner and Rangel, think how much money would be pumped back into the economy.

[pasto76]

12. really

Daschle immediately paid that $120K, didnt he?

So was that money IN THE ECONOMY, or sitting in a bank account?

[rangersmith82]

56. Why don't we cut the pay on government officials by 20-40%

Its their fault we are in the mess we are in.

Why should we have to pay for their mess???

They make good money, their kids will not go hungry, they have enough benefits that would allow them the cut in pay.

Let them set the example!!!

[tavalon]

73. Corporations, not the government got us into this

The previous government, the Bush Administration turned a blind eye and gave a helping hand, but it was the corporations who fucked you.

[AlexDeLarge]

35. Someone's been listening to Faux too much.

Obviously, if you think like Faux pundits, then the stimulus plan shouldn't have any spending and just make the tax cuts for the rich permanent so that we non-rich can live off the largesse. How Repugnican of you?

[Rayander]

50. Someone's been listening to MSLSD too much.

Obviously, if you think like MSLSD pundits, then the stimulus plan shouldn't have any tax cuts and just make the spending for the non-rich permanent. How Demoncratic of you?

[tavalon]

74. I so rarely see you in such an early stage

Best bet is to lay low until you've had a few hundred under your belt, that and not use freeper-like terms like MSLSD, cute, more creative than most but still a dead ringer. Like Pizza much?

[maseman]

43. Enjoy your short stay at DU

[Rayander]

47. Why? Are you going to kick me off?

At least posts 12, 35, and 46 are trying to engage in intelligent discussion.

[Tansy_Gold]

53. I'm gonna try

I hate having my time wasted.

[tavalon]

75. No you already have

[ljm2002]

46. What garbage...

...the 12 million Americans who are currently unemployed can get the "same tax break" as Daschle, Geithner and Rangel and it won't mean a damned thing since they won't see a damned cent of it.

Utter horseshit.

[Winterblues]

58. You made me laugh...thank you

What you said is so absurd it is hilarious. :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[knixphan]

62. joining in the laughter...

:rofl:

[ima_sinnic]

82. you didn't know that taxes are only for the little people?

are you some kind of billionaire, or millionaire?
you really think Joe Blow who works for $10.50 an hour at Shop n Save is going to get a "tax break"?
No, the elites need the little people to fund their wars and buy their crap. It was people like you and me, not the rich pigs, who made Iraqipalooza possible. We paid for it, they've raked in the profits. It's one big money machine--for them.

The only way tax breaks should be justified for the rich is when they can document job creation. If they create a full-time job, they can get a tax credit for it. Otherwise, they should be taxed at about 90% for every dollar they "earn" in interest, perks, bonuses, and profits, over about $250,000.

[OhioChick]

30. "Will tax cuts bring in jobs? "

No, they won't. Unemployment is very high and only to get higher.

People need jobs...yesterday. If one doesn't have a job, this won't help them.

[AlbertCat]

41. Why are people still for them?

For the same reason they believe in a parental spook in the sky that looks after them. A myth is a myth.

I wonder why no one's mentioned what Krugman said at the start of the Iraq Invasion...

He could not find a single incident in ALL of history where a country had tax cuts in a time of war. If it was absurd during the Bush years, it's still absurd now.

[Why Syzygy]

65. Mr. Krugman is a man that needs to be heard. nt

[xiamiam]

3. i dont believe this poll..nt

[Why Syzygy]

7. Neither do I. It's about a PERCEIVED plan.

Nothing is even written yet. Another MSM trick.

[melm00se]

one thing I have learned in my life

is that what people perceive is their reality.

[kirby]

24. Go read the plan...It is not vaporware...

Goto c-span.org and there is a link to the HR-1 house version of the bill that was passed.

[Why Syzygy]

66. ... while knowing that the Senate would re-write..

and with family planning stripped out for no good reason...

edit . That's not exactly true. I don't think the economy should be tackled with one bill.

[ComtesseDeSpair]

4. It's amazing how stupid people can be.

[Enrique]

5. the president hasn't been fighting for it publicly yet

he just started today. Those numbers could change in a hurry with Obama back in the game.

[wtmusic]

6. Hate Radio Ratchets Up Opposition to Stimulus Plan By 11%

What a coinky-dink.

[leftynyc]

36. It's not just radio

TV cable shows - even ones on supposedly "liberal" MSNBC have been calling it welfare. We just don't have the voices out there making a case for this. Maybe the President needs to do a "fireside chat" or some kind of statement from the Oval Office.

[malletgirl02]

37. Fireside Chats

Wasn't Obama doing something like that on Youtube during the transition? He should start that up again.

[leftynyc]

78. Yes he was

and I think it was very effective. But in order to get widespread recognition, it must be done on TV.

[wtmusic]

38. You're right - Obama should go directly to the people

to sell his case. He will not get one iota of help from corporate media.

[FiveGoodMen]

39. Absolutely.

One of the best things Obama has going is the ability to communicate well.

He needs to bypass the M$M every chance he gets.

[knixphan]

63. Seconded!

Cut out the corporate middlemen and fireside chat to the folks.

[AlbertCat]

42. MSM

It's like the Tom Daschle crap...worth a mention or two but that's it. Not hours and days of analyzing and speculation. Instead how about laying out what's in the Stimulus plan for the average guy. Nope, must concentrate on passing news of interest maybe, but no real importance. Especially if it make Obama look like he's only been in office for a week or so. Oh wait.....

The MSM is doing it again and only the repug POV is getting through clearly....again....so I guess the Dems are so far doing their same ol' act again. Pass the pink tutus.

Maybe they are dancing a different variation this time. I liked how Obama pointed out they're complaining about a small fraction of the bill, or, as was pointed out on Countdown, complaining about things that have already been removed from the bill. A sure sign of 100% spin.

[leftynyc]

77. Amazing how the MSM

got up off the floor and decided to hold the white house accountable for stuff just at the same time a Democrat was sworn in. They truly are a pathetic group.

[high density]

8. Lots of Joe the Plumbers out there

that want tax cuts on their $0 income.

[CrispyQ]

17. But someday they'll be rich & reap the benefits of those cuts.

:eyes:

[fascisthunter]

9. I Don't Have Much Faith in Rasmussen Polls

and I am not buying its results not until Obama has a fair amount of time to explain to the public why this is so vital.

[butterfly77]

11. I don't know who they are asking for the polls...

maybe a lot of the people they should be asking are,jobless,homeless,and overall,unavailable for comment...

[xxqqqzme]

13. Surfed the channels last night during

'news' time (I normally don't watch the news - never tune in cnn or networks). I did notice that the stimulus plan was talked down w/ heavy emphasis on the $$$ amount. I heard no democrats interviewed (except on MSNBC on Countdown & Maddow), only RW hacks & rethugs.

Tell me again - we took the White House and both houses of congress right?

[depakid]

14. Rassmussen is full of crap

not that one should ever underestimate the stupidity and self-destructiveness of Americans... but I don't buy those numbers for a second.

Rassmussen's out to influence public opinion- not reflect it.

See, e.g. http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2009/02/stimulus-still-popular-after-all-these.html

[biopowertoday]

15. Its not on the RW--many Dems also think too big-including congresscritters.

[No Elephants]

16. I am for a recovery plan, but I am opposed to elements of this particular recovery plan. But, the

poll would probably require me to say just "for" or "against."

[bluestateguy]

18. I don't care. Rasmussen cooks his numbers

Really, who cares?

[Doremus]

19. We are dropping the ball on this. We need to get our message out.

The pukes have done nothing else but trash the stimulus plan non-stop, to the point that even DEMOCRATS are questioning its usefulness.

When are we going to stop letting repukes frame our issues for godssakes????? We need MANY MORE surrogates on cable and network to counter the lies being spewed 24/7.

Haven't we learned ANYTHING during the last 8 years???

:banghead:

[stillcool]

27. I've learned in the last 8 years..

that if you are relying on the tv you are fucked. We didn't win the election through the media. Making phone calls seems to have some pretty good results.

Call a Senator, any Senator
202-224-3121 (or use the toll-free service at 866-544-7573)

[YvonneCa]

55. Write a LTTE...

...here:

http://pol.moveon.org/lte/lte_t.html?zip=92071<e_campaign_id=100

[closeupready]

20. The reason support is falling is the plan is being co-opted by Republican obstructionists, and Obama

is accommodating them. What will it take to make them understand - people don't WANT TRICKLE DOWN; THEY DON'T WANT REPUBLICAN FISCAL POLICY! Why the hell does anyone think Democrats won so resoundingly? So that they could implement Republican policies? Sheez, I'm mad today at this crap.

John Kerry was right - ignore them and do a New Deal type stimulus, and you will see support skyrocket. Put money in the hands of consumers, NOT the banks.

[w4rma]

49. Exactly. The GOP and DLC are sabotaging it by making more and more of it a give away to the wealthy.

I think it's just plain sabotage.

[commanche]

21. people are being misled

when they hear stimulus package, they think 700 billion into bankers pockets.

[FrenchieCat]

22. You can thank the media for that!

They are also working on Obama's approval rating, and attempting to manipulate public opinion on that as well: http://www.opednews.com/articles/Mark-Halperin-Chris-Matth-by-Steven-Leser-090204-188.html

[TomClash]

23. The President has to sell the Stimulus Package

He has to sell it directly to the American People by giving a prime time Presidential Address. Either that or cut a deal with enough Senators to corral enough votes to invoke cloture and pass it.

[Born Free]

69. Obama needs to do something soon, because he is losing this issue....

Obama is wasting far too much time allowing the same people that want it to fail dictate what should be in it. It's doomed to failure unless he learns that he must get it done and drops his primary concern of bipartisanship. This is not unlike the situation with health plan the Clintons tried to put together for America, and we all know how that failed because the republicans needed it to fail to keep their own positions secure. Obama needs to get this moving, worry about bipartisanship later. The right wing wants America to fail, they want to see the government fail, they want to bankrupt the American government, and any time wasted trying to convince them of anything different is wasted time. Obama,democrats and reasonable republicans must get this done in spite of the right wing, not waste time trying to get them on board. It's becomes far too frustrating to watch the democrats waste so much valuable time trying to compromise , trying to look fair, some times you just need to get it done.

on edit: Maybe Obama needs to say the magic name, Betalejuice , Beatlejuice, Bea...no not that one, ..Bill Clinton for the health care, the right wing will be so excited about Bill Clinton's penis again they will not have time to concentrate on driving America to a new "great depression "

[Yavin4]

25. Here's Where We Can Learn Something From The Bush Years

Push through your agenda and don't worry about the day to day opinion polls. There was little support for Bush's tax cuts, yet he got them. There was little support for the war in Iraq, yet he got it.

The Dems need to push through a stimulus package and worry about the political implications later. If the economy starts to recover next year, then the Dems will benefit.

[Still Sensible]

26. A lot of this is not just the media coverage

it's right at the feet of Nancy Pelosi. She couldn't spearhead a "clean" bill through the house--and even lost 11 blue dogs who voted against... the result has been plenty of VALID talking points for the GOP blovating apparatus.

Even though the bullshit amounts to less than 2% of the overall house package, it doesn't matter. The bullshit allowed the GOP and the media covering them to frame the bill as wasteful spending. Even the President has noted multiple times that he expects the Senate to clean up the bill.

[mikelgb]

28. yeah the right is openly intimidated by the size of Obama's package

Repubs can't handle so much stimulus at once.

[Patsy Stone]

29. You mean the plan that isn't finalized?

The one which no one yet knows what is included and what isn't? That bill?

Wow. It seems America doesn't really want or need a stimulus package, and that all of the repsondents are doing just fine.

This sounds like a BS disnformation poll to me.

[wowimthere]

31. ASS MUFFIN! Not trusted to to even have a say.

[southernyankeebelle]

32. Wow

It is because you got these republicans going on the talk shows and not enough democratics are on these shows. They need to get the hell off their asses are start explain this bill. They are allowing the bastard republicans to take away their winning points. Obama needs to get out there and support and explain it also. He is good at doing that. He has to stop giving in to the republicans. It is nice to want everyone to cooperate but the republicans don't want to. So you stand your ground.

[Zynx]

33. Rasmussen issue polls are always very inaccurate. They tend to word questions in ways

to play with marginal supporters.

[ElboRuum]

34. Rasmussen Polls...

The Faux Noise of the opinion tabulation industry.

[Zorra]

44. Well, if people are stupid enough to believe RW talk radio, and become

part of the reason that the economy crashes due to the failure of the stimulus package to pass...

...then the dumbasses deserve to lose their jobs and homes, and will have no one to blame for their misfortune than their own dumbass selves.

[Romulox]

45. The TARP bill was a rip-off. Obama needs to explain how this is different. nt

[bemildred]

48. Bullshit. nt

[nc4bo]

51. Right Wing Noise Machine is right! How about some more layoffs

to go with your foreclosure notices?

:mad:

[Joanne98]

52. If they took the banks money out it would be a lot more popular.

[Bigmack]

54. Hey... I'm not so sure the Plan...

will work, but tax cutting has been shown to be a loser, so what do we have left?

Obama or somebody better do something Big... fast!

FDR gave a advocating "Bold, Persistent Experimentation"

"The country needs and, unless I mistake its temper, the country demands bold, persistent experimentation. It is common sense to take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something. The millions who are in want will not stand idly by silently forever while the things to satisfy their needs are within easy reach."

FDR, like his distant cousin Theodore Roosevelt, believed that if one did not try to alleviate national disaster from the top, the change would well up from the bottom.

http://www.bartleby.com/66/19/47019.html

[jzodda]

57. I think the Bill that goes to the President's desk will look much different anyway

First it has to pass through all the amendments, then the final vote. Then it must go to the Conference where it will probably be radically changed. There will be Obama's first true test of how strong a leader he can be. Can he impose his will on the Congress to bring to his desk exactly the clean bill he has been calling for? I hope so. I'm rooting for him.

[FriendlyReminder]

59. NEVER underestimate the stupidity of the gullible.

[AlinPA]

60. With cable TV "News" shows and pundits bashing it 24 x 7, no surprise.

[SoCalDem]

61. See what no parity in media does?

All these info-celeb-entertainaganza "news shows" have done their "work"

[LynnTheDem]

64. Dear America; then eat cake.

Bloody 'ell.

[ohio2007]

67. Congress says one thing and will do nothing

why not cut every american a $3,000 check and save 1/2 trillion dollars in "Failouts"

[Triana]

68. Well, the GOP negative-publicity campaign is working then isn't it?

and the corprat-pwned lame$tream media is more than happy to drive it.

[BelgianMadCow]

70. uhm...dunno but I'm afraid the "socialist" part of the measure is being (unjustly) touted

and the 37 % represents the more or less progressive part of America. Many of you (not DU ofc) seem to abhorr the idea of "welfare queen" and such..:shrug:

[pnorman]

71. I just did a Google search, and overall the numbers still looks pretty good.

Here's the WSJ: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123196999580982953.html

TPM cites that Rasmussen poll as though it's gospel, but a tiny touch of pessimism isn't all that bad at this stage. Google yourself before getting into a blind panic.

But some of the comments, that Obama needs to be proactive --- take it to the people ("fireside chats"), are right on.

pnorman

[tavalon]

72. What the fuck do they want instead?

Perhaps we should just airdump dollars willy nilly. What the hell other ideas have these yahoos got!

[lostnfound]

76. Even a left-winger I know talked last night only about the wasteful pork in the bill

Apparently there was a newspaper article that listed "some of the items in the bill that the Republicans were questioning" and he "had to agree that they were right to question them". Americans are being told all about the wasteful unnecessary parts (?) at the edges -- IN WAYS THAT THE REPUBLICAN BILLS WERE NEVER EXAMINED -- and the message of what the majority of the bill is for isn't being discussed. Even I, who has been reading DU nightly all week, haven't yet gotten a grasp of what most of the money is going to do. I haven't looked for it, either, and I suppose I need to.

[fencesitter]

80. yup, very true

I keep listening and reading for the positive influence of the bill. I get only vague answers. Only here on DU did I read a line for line dollar amount for the good stuff. The pubs are framing the entire offense on a tiny portion of spending and have excelled at making everyone believe this is what the whole bill is about. The dems couldn't voice an opposition to Bush's spending bills and they are not defending or promoting theirs now.

[Vinnie From Indy]

79. Any more arguments that the gargantuan right wing media and hate radio are killing America?

The eight or nine gargantuan corporations that control the vast majority of news media in America coupled with hundreds of right wingers on AM radio are still a cancer on our freedom.

[mopinko]

81. rasmussen rent a poll. always what the reich wing wants to hear.

don't trust them at all.