STIMULUS PACKAGE NEEDS STIMULATING

Here are the results of a poll released yesterday by Rasmussen Reports -- "an electronic publishing firm specializing in the collection, publication, and distribution of public opinion polling information."

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.

Sixty-four percent (64%) of Democrats still support the plan. That figure is down from 74% a week ago. Just 13% of Republicans and 27% of those not affiliated with either major party agree.

Seventy-two percent (72%) of Republicans oppose the plan along with 50% of unaffiliated voters and 16% of Democrats.

Despite the declining support, 78% say it is at least somewhat likely that the economic recovery package proposed by President Obama and congressional Democrats will become law during Obama's first 100 days in office. That figure includes 36% who say passage is Very Likely. That latter figure is down significantly from a week ago when 52% said passage of the legislation was Very Likely.

A stimulus plan that includes only tax cuts is now more popular than the economic recovery plan being considered in Congress. Forty-five percent (45%) favor a tax-cut only plan while 34% are opposed. Those figures reflect a modest increase in support over the past week. Candidate Obama campaigned heavily on a promise to cut taxes for 95% of all Americans, and voters strongly believe that tax cuts are good for the economy . Most Americans believe that a dollar of tax cuts is better for the economy than a dollar of government spending .

A stimulus plan with tax cuts only is supported by 64% of Republicans, 31% of Democrats and 46% of unaffiliated voters. It is opposed by 17% of Republicans, 46% of Democrats and 35% of unaffiliated voters. Obama initially proposed $350 billion for tax cuts in the recovery plan, but the congressional Democratic leadership lowered this to $275 billion to make way for more spending.

Going to the other extreme, 72% of voters oppose a stimulus plan that includes only new government spending without any tax cuts.

Forty-six percent (46%) of voters remain concerned that the government will do too much in reacting to the nation's economic problems. Forty-one percent (41%) are concerned that the government will do too little.

The House of Representatives passed an $819-billion version of the plan last week with all but 11 Democrats voting in favor of it and all Republicans voting against. Democrats argue the plan is full of essential stimulus measures for the economy; Republicans say it has far too much new spending in it. The Senate is now expected to pass a different version of the bill, raising its price tag as high as $900 billion. If so, a conference with representatives from the Senate and the House will be needed to resolve the differences.

The president has indicated that he will be more aggressive in promoting the plan through the media. A recent analysis by Scott Rasmussen noted that Obama himself is key to passage of the legislation . The president enjoys high job approval ratings overall and is especially popular among those who are undecided about the current legislation.

These latest survey results are very similar to a recent Gallup survey which found that only 38% now support the recovery plan. The Gallup survey found that another 37% wanted major changes made to the legislation, and 17% said that it should be rejected entirely

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To download the actual article, please use this link: Support for Stimulus