Who's winning the spin war over the stimulus? Both parties have escalated the fight in the three days since President Obama signed the bill, even as public opinion on the measure -- and Obama himself -- appears to be hardening along partisan lines.
A new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll sheds some interesting light on this subject. The survey found that 53 percent of respondents thought that the stimulus would improve economic conditions, while 44 percent thought it wouldn't. Looking deeper, CNN's polling director says, "Nearly nine in 10 Democrats favored the plan, while three-quarters of Republicans thought it was a bad idea."
Seen in that light, maybe the congressional GOP's nearly complete opposition to the measure isn't so surprising; their constituents are overwhelmingly opposed to the bill. And the partisan split is also growing in opinions of Obama. The same CNN survey found that the president's approval rating among Republicans "dropped from 50 percent in early February to 31 percent now." (Democrats remain pleased with their man, giving him 92 percent approval). A Fox News/Opinion Dynamics poll released yesterday showed a similar trend; over the last three weeks, Obama's approval rating went up 5 points among Democrats, and down 8 points among Republicans.
At the district level, the National Republican Congressional Committee is launching robocalls against 10 potentially vulnerable House Democrats for "voting for nearly a trillion dollars in wasteful spending." But the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee points out that, in at least one targeted district, those spending programs highlighted by the NRCC might not be seen as so "wasteful." And in New York's 20th district, where the parties are battling for the seat vacated by current Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D), the DCCC is hammering Republican candidate Jim Tedisco for refusing to say how he would have voted on the stimulus bill.
Which party will be proven right in this battle of perceptions? We won't really know the answer until Election Day 2010, but for an early hint, watch the results in that New York special election, scheduled for the end of March.
A new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll sheds some interesting light on this subject. The survey found that 53 percent of respondents thought that the stimulus would improve economic conditions, while 44 percent thought it wouldn't. Looking deeper, CNN's polling director says, "Nearly nine in 10 Democrats favored the plan, while three-quarters of Republicans thought it was a bad idea."
Seen in that light, maybe the congressional GOP's nearly complete opposition to the measure isn't so surprising; their constituents are overwhelmingly opposed to the bill. And the partisan split is also growing in opinions of Obama. The same CNN survey found that the president's approval rating among Republicans "dropped from 50 percent in early February to 31 percent now." (Democrats remain pleased with their man, giving him 92 percent approval). A Fox News/Opinion Dynamics poll released yesterday showed a similar trend; over the last three weeks, Obama's approval rating went up 5 points among Democrats, and down 8 points among Republicans.
At the district level, the National Republican Congressional Committee is launching robocalls against 10 potentially vulnerable House Democrats for "voting for nearly a trillion dollars in wasteful spending." But the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee points out that, in at least one targeted district, those spending programs highlighted by the NRCC might not be seen as so "wasteful." And in New York's 20th district, where the parties are battling for the seat vacated by current Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D), the DCCC is hammering Republican candidate Jim Tedisco for refusing to say how he would have voted on the stimulus bill.
Which party will be proven right in this battle of perceptions? We won't really know the answer until Election Day 2010, but for an early hint, watch the results in that New York special election, scheduled for the end of March.
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