No wonder President Barack Obama is demanding the Senate pass his $825 billion government expansion plan with no further study or debate. Evenly divided a week ago, independents are now turning against Obama’s $825 billion government expansion plan.
Judging from the polling data, the only thing preventing Obama’s government expansion plan from dipping into Bush-approval-rating territory is monolithic support from Democrats, which is above and beyond bad news for a "unifier" president only a little over a week into the job.
Opinion Dynamics, national telephone poll of 900 registered voters, conducted Jan. 27 to 28:
* Less than half of voters, 45 percent, think “Barack Obama’s proposed $825 billion dollar economic recovery plan” will help the economy. And that’s when you tell them it’s an "economic recovery plan."
* 61 percent of voters think elected officials in Washington are causing our economic problems. Only 27 percent say they are part of the solution.
* More think the economic stimulus plan should focus on “cutting taxes” to create jobs, 50 percent, than "increasing government spending on new programs and infrastructure projects." only 29 percent.
Rasmussen Reports, national telephone poll of 1,000 likely voters, conducted Jan. 27 to 28:
* Only 42 percent of voters support the Obama spending increase plan, a drop from 45 percent last week. Opposition to the plan grew by five percent.
* 59 percent are concerned Obama is spending too much.
* Demand for a tax cut-only plan grew over the week. 43 percent of voters support an all-tax cut/no-spending plan with just 39 percent opposed.
* Only 15 percent support such a plan with only spending increases and no tax cuts, with a whopping 70 percent opposed.
* 53 percent say that it’s always better to cut taxes than increase government spending, as some in Congress assert. Only 24 percent agree with "Keynesian" plans to stimulate the economy by growing government. Of that 53 percent skeptical of increased "stimulus spending," half were independent voters.
* Here’s the big problem for Obama. Independent voters, credited with delivering him the White House, were evenly divided on his "stimulus" plan a week ago, with 37 percent in favor and 36 percent opposed. That has dramatically changed in just one week. Today, 50 percent of independent voters oppose Obama’s proposal. Only 27 percent support it.
