GOP captures 30% of voters who want more spending to create jobs

[ProSense]

GOP captures 30% of voters who want more spending to create jobs

by Jed Lewison

Tuesday's exit polls asked a series of policy-oriented questions. One of those questions asked voters to name their top priority for the next Congress from the following three options: (1) cut taxes; (2) reduce the deficit; and (3) increase spending to create jobs.

39% identified the deficit as their top priority and 19% named tax cuts. Republicans captured 72% and 64% of those voters respectively. I'd point out that Democrats actually have a better track record on managing deficits than Republicans, but given the emphasis of the GOP on federal debt I can understand those results.

But what I couldn't understand is how the GOP managed to capture 30% of the votes of the 37% of people who listed their top priority as increasing spending to create jobs. I mean, that is exactly what the stimulus was designed to do; perhaps it emphasized tax cuts too much and perhaps it spent too little, but that was done to win GOP support in the senate. Without Republicans, we'd have spent far more on job creation and they've made opposing the stimulus a cornerstone of their campaign.

So how in the world did they manage to win 30% of votes from people who want to see more federal spending?

Will these confused souls hold their elected officials accountable?

[onehandle]

1. Idiots. nt

[emulatorloo]

2. It is bizarre isn't it?

[dkf]

3. It was a moot point as they weren't getting it from either side.

After screaming about jobs jobs jobs it was evident to me that this was not on the table. If we wanted to we would have done it.

[dionysus]

5. yes. you're right. obama wants us all unemployed.

do you ever stop and contemplate before you imply these things?

[dkf]

10. If it was possible to get it done why wasn't it done?

[ProSense]

6. This is not simply a question about creating jobs

it's about government spending to create jobs.

[dkf]

11. This entire time I've been saying it was all about jobs.

And I am beyond frustrated at the situation. I simply don't believe there was any desire to use government spending to help create jobs. If no one will do it then you vote on other criteria.

[Misskittycat]

4. Fox News. n/t

[WI_DEM]

7. they sure are dumb bells

[Bad Thoughts]

8. When you equate economy with instant gratification, ...

... you get voters who are upset with the economy but want the government to be more active in fixing it. Many Republicans won on the idea that the economy should be better by this point (papering over the structural problems in banking they themselves caused). However, they didn't offer a message deeper than that. They've set themselves up to disappoint their own supporters.

[karynnj]

9. UGGGHHH! This is proof positive that we have uninformed voters!

Most of the blame for that should go to the media and the lying Republicans. It is absolutely disgusting that they never called republicans - like Scott Brown - who said the most important thing to do was to to create jobs and the stimulus didn't create any. Many media people didn't bother to ask him why he (and the other Republicans) voted against jobs bills.

What is clear in retrospect is that the following were RW talking points:

1) Obama worked on his agenda instead of working to create jobs - ignoring that most of what he did at the beginning was precisely directed at it.

2) All the RW talking heads spoke of the goal as creating jobs. (Yet they also spoke of spending too much money)

Not to mention, they counted on the fact that only the wealthier 1/3rd was benefiting from the much improved stock market - and they mostly voted Republican - possibly to keep their tax cuts. The rest of the country are hurting and are being told by the RW that the Democrats were not working on fixing the economy. (Coming back from voting, I listened to Bloomberg radio speak of the stocks for companies that benefit from high end discretionary spending were booming - they were and still are. Look up the chart for an high end company you can think of.)