DEFINE ‘SKEPTICISM’…. The Politico reports this morning that policy makers in D.C. are facing “a skeptical public” when it comes to selling an ambitious economic recovery plan.
Obama comes to power … after a period of extraordinary intervention already by Treasury and the Federal Reserve. The results of that activity have been mixed. And while most economists agree that the country is better off for having acted, the huge costs have also fed skepticism among the public.
“There’s a sense out there that we keep throwing more and more money at the problem,” pollster Neil Newhouse told Politico. “There’s a ton of skepticism out there whether this will make a difference.”
The Politico also reports this morning that most of the public is already convinced that we need an ambitious economic recovery plan.
By a large majority, voters favor President-elect Barack Obama’s wide-ranging policy prescriptions to aid the faltering economy, according to a new Politico/Allstate poll.
The survey of 1,007 registered voters conducted Dec. 27-29 showed that 79 percent of respondents favored Obama’s plan. The president-elect is advocating a $775 billion stimulus that includes a major investment in infrastructure projects and alternative energy as well as middle-class tax cuts, job training and health care reform.
When eight in 10 Americans already support Obama’s approach to improving the economy, it doesn’t sound like he should be too terribly concerned about “a skeptical public.”
Note to the president-elect: the electorate wants you to be bold. Don’t hold back.
