by Mark Silva and updated with a correction
President Barack Obama's month-long sales pitch for his $3.55-trillion budget has not moved the needle of public opinion about the 2010 spending plan.
Obama, who staged a prime-time televised news conference this week to promote a budget filled with initiatives in education, health care and energy which he calls critical to the nation's long-term economic health - and which critics ridicule as big spending fueling big deficits - has attempted to rally public support for a budget which may not need much selling in a Democratic-run Congress.
House and Senate budget writers, while charting some courses of their own, have drafted resolutions this week that hew "98 percent'' to the president's line, according to Obama's budget director. Yet Republicans and some conservative Democrats as well will be making their concerns known about all the president's spending plans in the many months of budget debate ahead.
One third of the American public, however, still doesn't know enough about the budget to have formed an opinion of it, the Gallup Poll finds.
Among those who do have an opinion about the budget, just 39 percent said Wednesday, the day after the president's news conference, that they have a generally positive view of the president's budget -- a notch fewer than the 44 percent who said so in late February.
And among the public, opposition holds at roughly one-quarter of those surveyed - 27 percent in the latest survey, compared with 26 percent in late February.
The new survey was run one night, Wednesday, the day that Obama met in private with Senate Democrats to promote his plan and budget committees started advancing their own resolutions.
"The emerging debate in Washington, however, doesn't appear to be significantly affecting Americans' views on the issue.'' Gallup reports. "Examining views by party and ideology, more than 6 in 10 Republicans remain negative about the budget while more than 6 in 10 Democrats remain positive about it. Interestingly, only the views of moderates and liberals have shifted to a noteworthy degree -- with both groups becoming somewhat less positive over the past month.''
The survey of 1,014 adults conducted Wednesday carries a possible margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
Comments
Silly me, thinking budgets have numbers and figures and math instead of whining and stupidity. The Repukelicans unveiled their counter budget proposal today and it consisted of.....wait for it.....NOTHING! The GOP "budget" was only 19 pages long, and it contained not one number in it.
New GOP motto - "All Blow and No Show"!
Pay no attention to the fat man (Rush) behind the curtain, people! If they only had a brain....a brain...a brain...brain.
Posted by: Drill, Baby, Drill | March 26, 2009 5:49 PM
This is a shocking display of disrespect towards our president and disregard for the security of America.
http://www.political-buzz.com/
Posted by: matt | March 26, 2009 6:02 PM
Why don't we pacify Bruce/dissent and hear from the republicans on this budget and what they would do. In their effort to seem as though they have ideas....they turned in a comic book to simulate their budget. Please publish this joke for all to see.
Posted by: bill r. | March 26, 2009 6:19 PM
The GOP unveiled its budget of fiscally responsible unicorns and market-driven rainbows today:
http://washingtonindependent.com/35914/behold-charts
Just to recap:
1) President Obama holds interactive town hall using questions submitted online.
2) Republicans submit a budget they made by using a ruler and tracing over some coasters.
Fun times, I wonder if the GOPer's consulted with their leader, Mullah Limbaugh, before submitting this joke of a budget?
Posted by: DrainYou | March 26, 2009 6:20 PM
Republicans are going to have to come up with something other than just saying "NO" to everything if they ever want to be taken seriously again. The counter budget proposal that they released today is a joke.
And speaking of jokes, this Michael Steele guy is a real piece of work:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FYdn8KPi9E
Are there any Republicans left out there who are still sane?
Posted by: DrainYou | March 26, 2009 7:14 PM
We should all feel sorry for President HopeyChangey.
After full time campaigning for a month, and free publicity from (among others) the HopeyChangey Swamp outlet store, people aren't buying his line.
The solution is clear--Swamp writers must go from their 99% pro-Obama mode into their 110% pro-Obama mode. Crank it up, guys!
Posted by: Eugene Debs | March 26, 2009 7:41 PM
GET THE FACTS BEHIND THE NEWS
Elizabeth Warren head of the oversight panel setup by Congressto monitor the Federal Bailout says, “THE GOV’T STILL DOES NOT SEEM TO HAVE A COHERENT STRATEGY FOR EASING THE FINANCIAL CRISIS. “Instead the gov’t seemed to go from one tactic to the next without clarifying how each step fits into the overall plan. .
A reason for Ms. Warren’s observation is the US does not have an economic strategy. Professor Michael Porter distinguished Harvard School Professor notrs thee American political system has evolved with piecemeal reactions to current events.
Where do we really stand? Prof Porter says the US has prospered because of unique competitive strengths.
1) The US has an unparalleled environment for entrepreneurship and starting new companies.
2) US Entrepreneurship has been fed by a science, technology, and innovation that is by far the best in the world.
3) The US has the world’s best institutions of .higher learning .
4) The US has been the country with the strongest commitment to competition and free markets.
5)The task of forming economic policy and putting it into practice is highly decentralized across states and regions. This decentralization maybe the US greatest competitive strength.
6) The US benefits from the most efficient capital markets of any nation. This especially true of risk capital.
7) The US has remarkable dynamism and resilience to take losses and move on.
I
Prof Porter believes” a series of policy failures have offset and even nullified “US “ strengths just as other nations are becoming more competitive”.Aa look at some of the seeconomic areas.
1) “An inadequate rate of reinvestment in science and technology is hampering our feeder system for entrepreneurship. Research and development as a share of the GDP has declined, while it has risen in other countries”. This is well recognized but policy makers have failed to act.
2) Our belief in competition is waning. “A creeping relaxation of antitrust enforcement has allowed mergers to dominate markets”. “We are seeing more interference in competition with protectionism and favoritism.”
3) US colleges and universities do not have a serious plan, such as GI Bill or National Science Foundation programs, to improve access to them. The US now ranks 12th in educational attainment for 25 to 34year olds. For 30 yrs we have not improved ourselves in this area. This is an “ominous trend in an economy that must have the skills to justify our high wages.”
4) At a time when job insecurity and turnover are high the US gov’t has not taken responsibility to provide a transition safety net for US working people. The job training system is ineffective and receives less funding each year. Pension security is declining. Social security is not being adjusted and strengthened. Access to affordable health insurance is a major worry to most people. The gov’t could equalize the tax deductibility of individuals purchasing insurance to assist those not covered by their employers, but has failed to do so.
5) The US is energy inefficient. Public policies fail to promote energy conservation.
6) “Trade and foreign investment are fundamental to the success of the US economy but the US has lost its focus and credibility in shaping the international trading system.” “With no strategy the US has failed to work with other advanced countries to assist poorer countries to feel confident about opening markets and internal reform.” “Our foreign aid is still tied to the purchase of US goods rather than the actual needs of countries.”
7) “The federal gov’t has failed to recognize and support the decentralization and regional specialization that drives our economy.
8) Lack of regulatory oversight combined with lack of a strategic plan has resulted in a hodge-podge of policies that have driven up the costs of doing business. TO SUM UP WE HAVE HAD POOR ECONOMIC MANAGEMENT.
9) Is good strategic economic plan possible considering our political system?
It requires political parties and private leaders to come together and chart a long term plan. Prof Porter recommends a bipartisan joint planning group to coordinate priorities,
Does the Obrama program strengthen our ecnomic advanges and help sove our weaknesses? This is how we should judge the Obrama measures taken.
Posted by: robert diogenes | March 26, 2009 8:17 PM
It requires political parties and private leaders to come together and chart a long term plan. Prof Porter recommends a bipartisan joint planning group to coordinate priorities,
Posted by: robert diogenes | March 26, 2009 8:17 PM
This caught my eye. I thought mmm someone looking for bipartisanship to solve our problems. Then I read his ending statement.
Does the Obrama program strengthen our ecnomic advanges and help sove our weaknesses? This is how we should judge the Obrama measures taken.
Posted by: robert diogenes | March 26, 2009 8:17 PM
I doubt you will do well working together if you call him Obrama.....do you? Come back and talk when you play well with others.
Posted by: bill r. | March 27, 2009 7:44 AM
Of course people are unmoved. It's hard to move when you are in shock; sticker shock that is.
Posted by: John W. | March 27, 2009 2:27 PM
"Interestingly, only the views of moderates and liberals have shifted to a noteworthy degree -- with both groups becoming somewhat less positive over the past month."
Uh-oh. Bee-Bop-Obama, Swifty Orszag, and Incredibly Confident Christina are going to have to sing and dance 'somewhat' faster now, before the gravity of trillions in new debt sets in with others -- and their assumed base of support erodes further.
In a couple of weeks, they'll have to go flight of the bumblebees.
Posted by: dom youngross | March 28, 2009 10:56 AM