First Read reports that a soon to be released poll will show that Americans trust the Democrats to get the U.S. out of a recession more than two to one over the Republicans. And it also notes a huge shift in this belief:
Here’s one set of numbers we’re releasing before the entire NBC/WSJ poll comes out at 6:30 pm ET: By a 48-20 percent margin, Americans believe the Democratic Party would do a better job of getting the U.S. out of recession than the Republican Party.
When this same question was asked back in 1990, the public was essentially split. In an October 1990 poll, 36 percent said Republicans would do a better job, versus 31 percent who picked the Democrats. And in December of that year, an equal number — 33 percent — sided with the Democrats and Republicans.
So, given this poll, just how to you think Rush Limbaugh going on about how he wants President Barack Obama to fail and using that “hope” as a Republican party loyalty litmus test is going to play among the bulk of Americans that the GOP presumably would like to convince?
UPDATE: The poll is now out and here are some of the key details:
President Barack Obama enjoys widespread backing from a frightened American public for his ambitious, front-loaded agenda, a new poll indicates.
He is more popular than ever, Americans are hopeful about his leadership, and opposition Republicans are getting drubbed in public opinion, the new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll suggests.
But there are also early warning signs showing risks if his plans don’t show progress. The president’s support, while still deep, looks increasingly partisan as Republicans move away from him. Americans have more confidence in the president himself than in some of his initiatives, such as the economic stimulus package, and have some hesitation about his plans to raise taxes to expand health coverage.
In other words: he better deliver, or else he will lose support (more specifically from the independents and non talk radio political culture Republicans who make up part of his coalition — not to mention key Demmie groups). AND:
The most remarkable figure in the poll shows a sharp jump in the proportion of Americans who say the nation is “generally headed in the right direction” since Mr. Obama’s January inauguration, a period when economic indicators and financial markets have suggested the opposite. The survey shows that 41% of Americans say the country is headed in the right direction, slightly below the 44% who say the country is on the wrong track.
The “right direction” number is up from 26% in mid-January, before Mr. Obama took office, and up from 12% just before the election — and the highest since January 2004.
In the past, similarly sudden improvements in national mood were recorded only after national emergencies that prompted a rallying effect, such as the 2001 terrorist attacks. In this case, the boost is being driven by Democrats and other Obama voters who are pleased with the opening weeks of the administration. Overall, two-thirds of all Americans say they feel “hopeful” about Mr. Obama’s leadership and plans, compared with 28% who say they feel “doubtful.”
And note this — which echoes what we wrote above in our summary:
The poll had bad news for the Republican opposition. By a margin of more than 2-1, Americans trust the Democratic Party over the Republicans to get the country out of the recession. Views of the GOP are near an all-time low. And more than half of all adults say that Republicans in Congress have opposed Mr. Obama’s proposals more to gain political advantage, compared with 30% who say Republicans have done so because they are standing up for their principles.By a huge margin, people say there is no more bipartisanship in Washington now than in the past. For that, they are most likely to blame President George W. Bush’s administration and congressional Republicans. They put almost none of the blame on congressional Democrats or Mr. Obama.
Go to the link to read it all.
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.