Obama, Dems winning on stimulus after all?

Last week, Republicans were crowing about polling on the issue -- now, a new survey shows it's the congressional GOP that's taking the hardest hit.

Published February 9, 2009 3:10PM (EST)

Last week, the news about public opinion on the stimulus was all about falling support for the plan, and presumably for its chief backer, President Obama. Republicans were especially happy to see one Rasmussen poll that showed a precipitious drop in the number of people backing the current package, with a plurality opposing it for the first time.

This week has started on a different note, however. A new Gallup poll shows that, when it comes to the stimulus, it's Democrats who are faring best with the public. 67 percent of respondents said they approve of the way Obama's been handling the debate over the issue; only 25 percent disapprove. Congressional Democrats aren't doing that well, but a plurality -- 48 percent -- still approves of their actions overall, compared to 42 percent who said they disapprove.

Meanwhile, according to Gallup, the congressional GOP is slightly more popular than food poisoning. Only 31 percent of Americans approve of their handling of the stimulus, while 58 percent disapprove.


By Alex Koppelman

Alex Koppelman is a staff writer for Salon.

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