Rasmussen: Stimulus bill support drops to 37%
posted at 1:27 pm on February 4, 2009 by Ed Morrissey
It never had a majority of support in the first place, but at least at first, the stimulus bill had a plurality in favor. No longer. Rasmussen’s polling shows that in two weeks, the numbers have flipped from 45-34 in support to 43-37 opposed:
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.
Barack Obama has lost seventeen points on the gap between support and opposition in just two weeks. He’s lost ten points of support among Democrats, who now back it 64-16. Unaffiliated voters oppose it even more than the general population, 50-27. Only those making under $20,000 a year support the bill at all; all other income demographics have pluralities in opposition.
Not surprisingly, government employees also support it, 44-28. The self-employed and private-sector employees both oppose it, the latter by a firm majority, 55-34.
What can Obama do to turn this around? According to the poll, he could offer a tax-cut-only package, which has a plurality of support at 45-34. A government-spending-only package would be opposed by almost three-quarters of all voters, 72-15. Republicans have repeatedly offered a tax-cut stimulus plan, and they could benefit by getting the message out now about their alternative.
Clearly, though, Obama and the Democrats have begun to lose the confidence of American voters on their economic agenda.
Blowback
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Call your doctor if your stimulus drops to 37%
faraway on February 4, 2009 at 1:29 PM
Disaster.
Make Obama own this.
artist on February 4, 2009 at 1:29 PM
3 months to late.
MarkTheGreat on February 4, 2009 at 1:30 PM
I predict: Four years of Democrat imcompetence and corruption will bring the GOP back with a vengeance.
Cicero43 on February 4, 2009 at 1:31 PM
But we have to pass it or it will be a
Catastrophe
Brat4life on February 4, 2009 at 1:31 PM
Could cause halo to disintegrate.
fogw on February 4, 2009 at 1:31 PM
Hu-rray.
Keep calling your Senators, America, and demand tax cuts while you’re at!
Jenfidel on February 4, 2009 at 1:31 PM
More popcorn and beer please.
MDWNJ on February 4, 2009 at 1:32 PM
It won’t matter to Obama and the dems. Let’s not forgot his whole, “I’m gonna have to do some things that won’t be popular” speech.
Bill Scrunty on February 4, 2009 at 1:33 PM
Barry, you and Pelosi think you’re the smartest people in the room. Your good cop, bad cop routine isn’t going to work. GOP, STAND UP. CUT THIS BILL BY AT LEAST HALF! CUT TAXES!
marklmail on February 4, 2009 at 1:33 PM
But it’s for your own good people!
Come on!
Borrowing from Peter to pay Paul has always been successful!
/sarc
Badger40 on February 4, 2009 at 1:34 PM
They’ll still discount this poll because it was done by a conservative pollster.
anniekc on February 4, 2009 at 1:34 PM
I know I’ve said it before, but even Joe Biden’s hometown newspaper (Wilmington News Journal) doesn’t support it.
The problem, in a nutshell, is that Washington DC doesn’t take the financial crisis seriously; they are not worried about their retirements or livelihoods and are simply using it as a political opportunity.
The public, even the Obama voters, expected better.
BigD on February 4, 2009 at 1:34 PM
Well, duh. These are the two groups in line waiting for the wealth to be spread around.
Vashta.Nerada on February 4, 2009 at 1:34 PM
Badger40 on February 4, 2009 at 1:34 PM
This thing is falling faster, than a blind roofer. God i love this.
MDWNJ on February 4, 2009 at 1:35 PM
Awesome.
nickj116 on February 4, 2009 at 1:35 PM
Which, of course, is absurd since this would essentially mean we elected a Democrat to do the job of the GOP. Wait, that actually doesn’t sound so crazy any more.
LastRick on February 4, 2009 at 1:35 PM
Silver lining?
God I hope so.
Badger40 on February 4, 2009 at 1:35 PM
And yet he is still campaigning for the stimulus. A lameduck in only two weeks?
I bet we don’t see any liberals posting in this thread.
Theworldisnotenough on February 4, 2009 at 1:35 PM
Complete Failure.
HornetSting on February 4, 2009 at 1:36 PM
I got some Midleton, if that would do.
MDWNJ on February 4, 2009 at 1:37 PM
Finally! Poll results don’t make me sick.
carbon_footprint on February 4, 2009 at 1:37 PM
Two years…the midterms could be glorious…
Rogue on February 4, 2009 at 1:38 PM
Lol.
But is it true , have they checked?
the_nile on February 4, 2009 at 1:39 PM
This thing is falling faster, than a blind roofer. God i love this.
MDWNJ
The blind roofers union wants to talk to you. They sent one of their members to find you, but no luck yet.
SKYFOX on February 4, 2009 at 1:39 PM
Ahh, two full weeks on the job and it appears that “buyers remorse” is beginning to surface.
I’ve said before and I will continue to say it:
If the GOP wants my support, my money, or my vote, they had best recover from their collective cranial-rectal inversion, locate their testicles and start looking like the party Mr. Reagan gave back to us. If you want to be a moderate, take your act on the road. I stopped calling myself a Republican and now simply refer to myself as a conservative. As Mr. Reagan said, I didn’t leave my party, they left me.
oldleprechaun on February 4, 2009 at 1:40 PM
I predict PBO will try to distance himself from this as it gets less and less popular.
Never let ANYONE forget that he activated his list of campaign supporters to host house parties and rally support for this thing.
He loved it. He wanted it. And he must not be allowed to remove the albatross from his neck.
BardMan on February 4, 2009 at 1:40 PM
Call your doctor if the stimulus lasts for over four years.
Attila (Pillage Idiot) on February 4, 2009 at 1:40 PM
Porkulus is seeing the sunlight.
tarpon on February 4, 2009 at 1:41 PM
I figure the ‘buyer’s remorse’ set in for the cheese-eating rats that voted for him on January 21, 2009, when they didn’t find their gas tanks full and their rent paid.
I think the rats are going to beat us to the revolt we have been promising.
HornetSting on February 4, 2009 at 1:42 PM
Im at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. You cant miss me, im the one with ears the size of dinner plates.
MDWNJ on February 4, 2009 at 1:43 PM
Love this take:
Putting things in perspective
BardMan on February 4, 2009 at 1:43 PM
all the Dems need to do now is try to be popular on these things instead of ideological, and use their political capital for Amnesty.
The end result of that will eventually mean Democrat Rule and then they can get ideological
jp on February 4, 2009 at 1:45 PM
There’s a glimmer of hope here. Perhaps we can count on the good sense of American taxpayers despite the results of this last election?
And we might also credit alternative media, new media for getting the message out? If so, keep plugging away, Ed. This is what the public needs to understand.
Cody1991 on February 4, 2009 at 1:45 PM
That is awesome.
lorien1973 on February 4, 2009 at 1:46 PM
Sorry. I’m way too picky.
I have fallen in love with Pendleton.
But if it’s free, maybe I can relent!
Badger40 on February 4, 2009 at 1:46 PM
This is interesting.
From the article when the majority supported it (emphasis mine):
From the article when the majority is against it (emphasis mine):
Does anyone else find it interesting that the plan is Obama’s plan when it’s supported and some random plan working it’s way through Congress as soon as the majority is against it?
JadeNYU on February 4, 2009 at 1:46 PM
That’s good because “The One” is actually against the Spendulus package don’t you know.
Caper29 on February 4, 2009 at 1:47 PM
ACLU just got a ruling requiring a federally trained, Union-member-seeing-eye-dog to accompany every blind roofer.
marklmail on February 4, 2009 at 1:47 PM
Did you see O’Reilly sounding that horn last night??? We’ve only been shouting this from the rooftops for the past three years. It took the NYT calliing him a racist for Bill to finally pull his head out on this subject….he was mouthing the “comprehensive” method just last year…
Dem rule….why can’t they take it to France?
HornetSting on February 4, 2009 at 1:47 PM
Yes.
INC on February 4, 2009 at 1:49 PM
Support for Obama’s package shrinking.
The Flaccidity of Hope.
Christien on February 4, 2009 at 1:51 PM
CRATER
LimeyGeek on February 4, 2009 at 1:51 PM
Barry hits the 2 1/2 with a twist… directly on his belly…
ouch, that has to hurt…
phreshone on February 4, 2009 at 1:51 PM
America is clearly racist.
whitetop on February 4, 2009 at 1:52 PM
Good Lawd, another day wasted without the bill passing.
That would mean….let’s see here…500 million jobs divided by 28 days in the month…carry the two…multiply by pi…
*takes off shoes to count toes*
Yep, another 16,600,000 jobs lost while Ogabe dithers.
Bishop on February 4, 2009 at 1:52 PM
2 weeks in….he never reached the board. He just fell off the ladder.
HornetSting on February 4, 2009 at 1:53 PM
No, I think it proves why the conservative hooping and hollering over this is way premature. Obama has already said the House bill needs major revisions and the negative opinions Rasmussen has picked up (Gallup still shows pretty strong support) are a reaction to the house bill and the effective campaign against it in the media by the GOP. But a plan that Obama backs and endorses is still popular because people trust him and because they don’t think he endorses the House “porkulus.” Again looking at this one poll in isolation is incredibly dumb. The vast majority of Americans want some kind of big spending bill. And for one that’s purely tax cuts, how is the question worded. Does it say “a big tax cut for business and the top earners.” I highly doubt that, there’s a populist streak in the electorate now. What people want is what Obama proposed a big tax break for middle/working class Americans. I’ve seen zero evidence in any polls that people want supply side economics, if they did they wouldn’t have voted Obama.
DeathToMediaHacks on February 4, 2009 at 1:53 PM
Great Headline! :)
MDWNJ on February 4, 2009 at 1:54 PM
Obviously the answer is more sub 20K jobs and more Gov’t employees!!
James on February 4, 2009 at 1:54 PM
2
weeksweaks in….he never reached the board. He just fell off the ladder.fixed…
phreshone on February 4, 2009 at 1:54 PM
Obama supported the plan before he opposed it…
yeah yeah.. that’s the ticket.
Obama is proof, once something is proven “unpopular” he abandons it. Throws it under the bus.
This is not the stimulus package I knew…
James on February 4, 2009 at 1:55 PM
LOL.
And as far as Obama’s concerned, talking about the economy is what enabled him to win the election.
I smell one term.
Ryan Gandy on February 4, 2009 at 1:56 PM
Needle on Michelle Obama’s ‘Ashamed-of-my-country’ meter dips back into red zone.
whitetop on February 4, 2009 at 1:57 PM
Obama, you can’t keep saying “it’s going to get worse before it gets better” and “everyone must sacrifice” AND THEN buy your wife $12,000 earrings, serve Kobe beef at your cocktail party, turn your thermostat up and then try and spend our money on condoms and sod.
You aren’t sly or strategic or smart. You are a fool’s fool.
sherry on February 4, 2009 at 1:57 PM
I’m not quite sure where my schweet ebola got this, but worth watching if: a) you’ve got a strong stomach b) see “a”.
The Republicans are finally acting like adults and guess what? America’s listening. Go figure.
tree hugging sister on February 4, 2009 at 1:57 PM
DeathToMediaHacks on February 4, 2009 at 1:53 PM
Nuance.
When in doubt, blame the “hooping and hollering GOP” for failed democrat plans.
Remember the theme:
When democrats lose, the other side was cheating.
When democrats win, the people have spoken.
Bishop on February 4, 2009 at 1:57 PM
Obama is going to have to trade the bus in on a monster truck if the bumps get any bigger
phreshone on February 4, 2009 at 1:57 PM
Headline: 37% of Americans Stuck on Stupid
Branch Rickey on February 4, 2009 at 1:57 PM
So, when does the “stimulous” bill get tossed under the bus?
Count to 10 on February 4, 2009 at 1:58 PM
Ha!
BTW, regarding Obama’s Executive Pay dictate, the President of NPR (whose salary we pay for) would be better paid than Wall Street execs under Barry’s plan. Which job would you prefer? The grind of Wall Street, or the easey-peasey life of an NPR exec?
Their broadcasters don’t do too badly either.
Buy Danish on February 4, 2009 at 1:58 PM
Why , Obama only supports popular plans.
the_nile on February 4, 2009 at 1:58 PM
sherry on February 4, 2009 at 1:57 PM
12K earrings?!
Where did you hear this? I only knew about that stupid ring.
Ryan Gandy on February 4, 2009 at 1:58 PM
The longer this bill is out in the open, the more that opposition will grow.
When bills see the light of day the bad one start to rot and stink enough to catch the attention of Americans. As Ben Nelson said the other day about Daschle:
“This hadn’t reached the ‘grocery line’ test yet,” said Nelson, meaning people back home were not talking about it casually, “but we found it was something they were concerned about.”
It can take some time for an item to transition from political junkie knowledge to concern to casual conversation. That’s why pols try to push bad bills through quickly.
I’m so grateful the House Republicans held fast. I think that was one thing that caught people’s attention to this pork bill.
INC on February 4, 2009 at 1:59 PM
Here’s hoping that the public isn’t quite as stupid as you make them out to be.
Count to 10 on February 4, 2009 at 2:01 PM
Silante!
Branch Rickey on February 4, 2009 at 2:01 PM
Can you read? I said the celebration hooping and hollering was premature. I said that GOP has done a good job demonizing the House porkulus in the media…and they have. However the fact that respondents respond favorably to an “Obama economic plan” shows that, philosophically, people are not in favor of supply side economics in any significant way. They want a big federal plan, they just want Obama to be the hand behind it, not the House Dems. I’m with them. Join the majority and quit making up strawmen.
DeathToMediaHacks on February 4, 2009 at 2:02 PM
Headline in Chicago Sun Times (which is amazing). He bought her $5,000 earrings for her birthday. She didn’t like them, took them back and upgraded to a $12,000 pair. The article praised her sense of style and her ability to stimulate the economy.
sherry on February 4, 2009 at 2:02 PM
Considering we’ve had 4 to 6 years of Republicans doing their best to act like Democrats. This would be poetic justice.
MarkTheGreat on February 4, 2009 at 2:02 PM
You’re the Kevin Bacon of Hot Air.
“ALL IS WELL PEOPLE!!!!!!”
Chuck Schick on February 4, 2009 at 2:04 PM
DTMH:
Troll much? Who trusts Abomination, er. Pres. Barack “It’s now o.k. to call ‘Hussein’” Obama besides MSNBC and Obomobots?
see: stuck on stupid
Branch Rickey on February 4, 2009 at 2:05 PM
No one “wants” supply side economics , because no one really wants to work for their money.
Though , you can’t live on borrowed money forever..
the_nile on February 4, 2009 at 2:05 PM
You see, Barry, the way “catastrophe” sounds in your smooth, mellow baritone just reassures the peeps that it’s a good thing.
Christien on February 4, 2009 at 2:06 PM
“You can fool all the people some of the time..”
the_nile on February 4, 2009 at 2:06 PM
The House vote on the package happened Jan 28th. The poll write up that referred to the bill as “the $825-billion economic recovery plan proposed by President Barack Obama” was released Jan 21st. The poll was in reference to the House bill (which was in the news) and, at the time, they had no problem writing it up as Obama’s bill.
Even last week when a plurality still supported it, Rassmussen continued to refer to it as Obama’s bill:
It’s not until it no longer had public support that Obama’s name drops off and it becomes a random billing working it’s own way through congress.
This observation has nothing at all to do with what the populace actually wants and what they do and don’t support.
It’s an observation of how one media outlet chose to write up the results as it became less and less favorable for the Dem’s stimulous bill. It went from being wholly owned by Obama to being a project of Obama and the Dem congress to being it’s own creature with no party identification attached.
JadeNYU on February 4, 2009 at 2:07 PM
This poll shows it. You just don’t like Rasmussen.
Chuck Schick on February 4, 2009 at 2:07 PM
DeathToMediaHacks on February 4, 2009 at 1:53 PM
Tax bill for businesses and high earners?
They are the only americans left who still pay taxes.
MarkTheGreat on February 4, 2009 at 2:10 PM
Whitetop, now how does that help Mo Obama’s kids?
/sarc
Branch Rickey on February 4, 2009 at 2:10 PM
You mean , Obama has joined Rush’s plan? That’s getting more popular by the day.
the_nile on February 4, 2009 at 2:10 PM
Well, if supply side economics don’t work, can someone please tell me why the markets are so phucked up? I’m just a dumb trader who has been trading for years, and I’ve never seen anything like this.
*hands the floor over to the trolls*……………
Cody1991 on February 4, 2009 at 2:10 PM
Just when did Obama say that he wanted a tax cut ONLY bill?
His original proposal was only 1/3rd tax cuts.
MarkTheGreat on February 4, 2009 at 2:10 PM
since when is being supported by 45% of the people the equivalent of widely popular?
And that for a bill that Obama never proposed.
MarkTheGreat on February 4, 2009 at 2:15 PM
Before or after it became unpopular?
the_nile on February 4, 2009 at 2:16 PM
Before Nancy got her mitts on it.
MarkTheGreat on February 4, 2009 at 2:18 PM
Some how I don’t see this happening at any MSM outlet anytime soon.
*eats*
bluelightbrigade on February 4, 2009 at 2:21 PM
Hahahahah
And Rush Limbaugh isn’t even broadcasting this week, he is on vacation! Though Mark Steyn is filling in for him today and absolutely killing. He says this bill is the Congressional equivalent of the octuplets’ mom – an irresponsible in vitro fertilization of government and an explosion of the deficit when we already have a huge one. Hysterical!!
rockmom on February 4, 2009 at 2:24 PM
Yes, she can — and did
Brat on February 4, 2009 at 2:25 PM
This week doesn’t need the brilliance of Rush , it’s a self playing piano.
the_nile on February 4, 2009 at 2:30 PM
Barry is now warning of a Catastrophe if his bill isn’t passed. How about explaining “line item by line item” how YOUR bill will prevent a catastrophe? Barry, you’re looking desperate.
marklmail on February 4, 2009 at 2:31 PM
Even the Dowd is snarking at him. It would be funny if I didn’t feel that even worse is just round the corner.
Fortunata on February 4, 2009 at 2:32 PM
Oh, feck all of this.
I want some Lefty troll bots to explain to me why the markets are not loving on BO? The DJIA, S&P are flirting with disaster, and they just don’t seem to get those warm fuzzies from Barry.
Wassup, guys? Be specific . That’s what markets like, real stuff. Markets are looking for leadership. Barry moves, the markets move, right?
C’mon, trolls. Give me some ideas. I’m looking for a trade.
Cody1991 on February 4, 2009 at 2:33 PM
The question really is why do reasonably intelligent Democrats think that the thoroughly discredited ideas behind this stimulus plan will help anything? There is the issue of a moderate sized welfare state over which we have an ideological argument with Democrats. But the arguments against the stimulus aren’t ideological, they are empirical, and the Democrats are empirically wrong.
For that matter, what’s up with the Republican governors supporting this bill and the garbage economics behind it?
thuja on February 4, 2009 at 2:39 PM
Right. That “tax break” that Obama promised for 95% of Americans was always a joke. As has been pointed out ad nauseum, 40% of Americans pay no income tax at all. Their “tax break” was to be in the form of “tax credits” — better known as welfare payments.
And I’ve seen “zero evidence” that most Obama voters could find their a$$ with both hands, let alone understand the concept of supply side economics.
AZCoyote on February 4, 2009 at 2:41 PM
The people opposed to this porkfest need to get some public relations out there.
Already, in our my local newspapere, the P.R. has started from the Obama-Pelosi-Reid team, titled:
Stimulus Plan: $1,000 Tax Cut for 330,000 Delawareans
A similar story is probably going out in all States. I hope we learned our lesson in the election and get with the fact that part of this is a whole media relations thing.
R’s need to get jiggy with the technology out there and make their case.
Mr. Steele?
Shirley on February 4, 2009 at 3:46 PM
If Obama does for the Republicans what Clinton did, they will take the house and senate back in the mid-terms. He is on an accelerated pass to do that, loosing support in polls numbers faster than anyone could expect. Hillary must be loving the front row seat.
Who would have thought that Hillary would end up being his best nomination!!
indyrowe on February 4, 2009 at 3:51 PM
I support Vashta.
BobMbx on February 4, 2009 at 4:02 PM
On behalf of The Human (‘Money for People’) Fund – I accept your donation from the stimulus package.
Hilts on February 4, 2009 at 4:05 PM
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