The Stimulus: Not So Stimulating Among Voters
Matt Welch mentions below that, contrary to the yea-sayers who believe the stimulus is wildly popular with voters and essential to the GOP's future political viability, "the numbers ain't that great for the giveaway."
Here's some more details, from the pollster Rasmussen:
Forty-two percent (42%) of the nation's likely voters now support the president's plan, roughly one-third of which is tax cuts, with the rest new government spending. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 39% are opposed to it and 19% are undecided. Liberal voters overwhelmingly support the plan while conservatives are strongly opposed.
Last week, support for the President's plan was at 45% and opposition at 34%.
So support is dropping for the plan and oppostion is growing. At the same, voters realize they've got a limited say in the matter: "At the same time, expectations that the plan will quickly become law have increased."
In an earlier Rasmussen survey, respondents were pro-tax cuts:
Fifty-seven percent (57%) say it's more important for tax policy to help the economy than to make sure everyone pays their fair share of taxes while 37% hold the opposite view.
Fifty-nine percent (59%) are concerned that the government will raise spending too much in the coming year while only 17% are concerned about too much tax cutting. Only 16% expect their own taxes to actually decline.
Jeez, I hope somebody on Capitol Hill is listening. And to this, too, from last year, after George W. Bush's much-ballyhooed stimulus package flopped like Rod Blagojevich's charm offensive:
If another stimulus package is passed, just 17% believe the economy will get better and 21% say it will get worse. Most voters-54%–say that if another stimulus package is passed, the economy will be about the same a year from today. These general views of the stimulus package were largely shared across partisan and demographic lines. …
A majority of both men and women think the best economic policy is to reduce regulation and taxes. So do a majority of voters in all age brackets.