Posted by Jed Lewison on Fri Jan 9, 2009 at 12:01 PM Pacific

Poll: Americans want stimulus, express most enthusiasm about components

A narrow majority of Americans favor the Democratic leadership's efforts to put a $775 billion economic stimulus package on President-elect Barack Obama's desk quickly after he takes office. A Gallup poll released yesterday found 53 percent in favor of such a bill, 36 percent opposed.

Broader majorities backed several specific components of Obama's plan -- including tax cuts for individuals, families and businesses and increased spending on infrastructure -- while fewer were in favor of expanded aid to state governments.

Along party lines, Democrats expressed broadest support for the overall plan (67 percent), followed by a slim majority of independents who backed it (54 percent); 34 percent of Republicans said they support the bill. Ideological leanings, however, further divide the GOP. Moderate and liberal Republicans were about evenly split on the plan (46 percent in favor, 44 percent opposed), while conservative GOPers tilted heavily against the package (68 percent opposed it).

Turning to the policies that may make up such a plan, more than seven in 10 told Gallup's pollsters they backed job creation via spending on infrastructure (78 percent favor), tax cuts for businesses to encourage job creation (75 percent) and tax cuts of up to $1,000 for families and $500 for individuals (72 percent).

The key lesson to draw from this might be that the best political strategy is to focus on the individual pieces of the stimulus and the benefits they will drive rather than the overal size of the package.

To that end, it makes sense to think of the bill in terms of a package including $310 billion in tax stimulus and $465 billion in infrastructure and other reinvestment programs.

The question then becomes, how to tweak each component -- should the business tax cuts be reduced in favor of individual tax cuts? Should the reinvestment portion of the bill grow?

One last point: isn't it just amazing that the debate we are having isn't whether or not to have a massive stimulus, it's whether the stimulus is massive enough?

WaPo:

A narrow majority of Americans favor the Democratic leadership's efforts to put a $775 billion economic stimulus package on President-elect Barack Obama's desk quickly after he takes office. A Gallup poll released yesterday found 53 percent in favor of such a bill, 36 percent opposed.

Broader majorities backed several specific components of Obama's plan -- including tax cuts for individuals, families and businesses and increased spending on infrastructure -- while fewer were in favor of expanded aid to state governments.

Along party lines, Democrats expressed broadest support for the overall plan (67 percent), followed by a slim majority of independents who backed it (54 percent); 34 percent of Republicans said they support the bill. Ideological leanings, however, further divide the GOP. Moderate and liberal Republicans were about evenly split on the plan (46 percent in favor, 44 percent opposed), while conservative GOPers tilted heavily against the package (68 percent opposed it).

Turning to the policies that may make up such a plan, more than seven in 10 told Gallup's pollsters they backed job creation via spending on infrastructure (78 percent favor), tax cuts for businesses to encourage job creation (75 percent) and tax cuts of up to $1,000 for families and $500 for individuals (72 percent).

To that end, it makes sense to think of the bill in terms of a package including $310 billion in tax stimulus and $465 billion in infrastructure and other reinvestment programs.

The question then becomes, how to tweak each component -- should the business tax cuts be reduced in favor of individual tax cuts? Should the reinvestment portion of the bill grow?

One last point: isn't it just amazing that the debate we are having isn't whether or not to have a massive stimulus, it's whether the stimulus is massive enough?