Feeling Wasted

Obama's lost the battle on the stimulus as well.

Nearly three out of four Americans think that at least half of the money spent in the federal stimulus plan has been wasted, according to a new national poll.

A CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Monday morning also indicates that 63 percent of the public feels that projects in the plan were included for purely political reasons and will have no economic benefit, with 36 percent saying those projects will benefit the economy.

Twenty-one percent of people questioned in the poll say nearly all the money in the stimulus has been wasted, with 24 percent feeling that most money has been wasted and another 29 percent saying that about half has been wasted. Twenty-one percent say that only a little has been wasted and 4 percent feel that no stimulus dollars have been wasted.

"One reason why the economic stimulus bill is no longer popular with the American public is the perception that a lot of the money has been wasted. Six in ten believe that the projects in the stimulus bill were included for purely political reasons," says CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. "Nearly three quarters believe that at least half the stimulus money spent so far has been wasted, and one in five say nearly all of it has been a waste."

 The Republicans defined the bill as "porkulus" from the beginning, and Obama caved in and cut billions from it, assuring that it would be too small to make a difference.  Six in ten simply think the stimulus was graft, when the fact of the matter is without it, we'd be looking at a 12% or 13% unemployment rate right now.

But Americans don't care.  Republicans tell easy lies, and Democrats have to defend by telling difficult and complicated truths.  Easy lies win that battle every time.  Obama basically has zero accomplishments according to the zeitgeist now.  And now the White House keeps talking deficit reduction in the middle of a recessionary spiral.

2010 is going to be a disaster in more ways than one.

[UPDATE 12:57 PM]  Joe Klein has more on this but he should really keep his mouth shut.

So, two thoughts:


1. The Obama Administration has done a terrible job explaining the stimulus package to the American people...especially since there have been very few documented cases of waste so far.

2. This is yet further evidence that Americans are flagrantly ill-informed...and, for those watching Fox News, misinformed.

It is very difficult to have a democracy without citizens. It is impossible to be a citizen if you don't make an effort to understand the most basic activities of your government. It is very difficult to thrive in an increasingly competitive world if you're a nation of dodos.

Hey Joe?  I'm betting not all that misinformation and refusal to explain the stimulus well came solely from FOX News.  Just saying.  You work for Time, dig? A news outlet?

Maybe you should remember that next time you decide to pat Joe Lieberman on the back for saving the stimulus by you know, talking his GOP buddies into demanding hundreds of billions in cuts in the size of the package.   Perhaps Obama would of had more to explain to the American people instead of "here's your $400 tax credit stretched out over a year and projects that will start in 2011."