This is not a post about the substantive merits of the stimulus package. I was AWOL this morning fighting off (successfully!) a speeding ticket in Sevier County so I’ve been a bit out of the loop. Sorry y’all!

Anyway, this is about the public support of the bill. Gallup says that 52 percent of Americans support the stimulus bill and 38 percent oppose it. Interestingly, the number has moved only a net of 3 points against it since early January.

The partisan breakdown is indicative of where the drop in support – little as it is – lies: Republicans. In fact, support for the bill has gone UP among BOTH Democrats and Independents since early January (+3 for Dems and +1 for Independents) while dropping by 10 among Republicans.

Also noteworthy is the fact the Collins-Nelson plan to shave up to $200 billion from the plan actually pleases nobody – and makes it less popular overall. Again, this is most true for Democrats and Independents; the reverse holds true for Republicans.

It appears that the polling from the election campaign where Democrats and Independents lined up on one side and Republicans went the other way still holds.

It’s certainly true that many Democrats and Independents have criticized the plan. And there are certainly some Republicans that support it.

But the notion that support has somehow collapsed for the plan is not reflected in the polling. (Note that Rasmussen found lower support from the beginning to the end, but they never released their partisan results so it’s hard to see if it’s just Republicans opposing it or everybody).

More importantly, there’s a reason people want this plan. The economy is in TERRIBLE shape. And people want something BIG that will affect THEM.

Just wanted to point out the politics of this – the substance is a different matter. But these are elected officials working on this and they are certainly aware of this polling.