With the Senate poised to vote Tuesday on an $827-billion version of the economic recovery plan, 62% of U.S. voters want the plan to include more taxcuts and less government spending.
Just 14% would like to move in the opposite direction with more government spending and fewer tax cuts, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Twenty percent (20%) would be happy to pass it pretty much as is, and five percent (5%) are not sure.
Republicans and unaffiliated voters overwhelmingly want to see more tax cuts and less government spending. Democrats are more evenly divided: 42% agree with the Republicans, 32% want to pass the plan as is, and 22% would like to see more government spending and fewer tax cuts.
Most conservative and moderate voters want to see more tax cuts. A plurality of liberals say the plan should be passed pretty much as it is.
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An analysis by Scott Rasmussen notes that the stimulus debate is now driven by a tug-of-war between the popularity of PresidentObama and the nation’s deeply ingrained reluctance to increase government spending. Forty-eight percent (48%) of voters believe that increased spending is generally bad for the economy. On the other hand, 57% say tax cuts are generally good for the economy.
Overall, 37% of voters favor the stimulus plan and 43% are opposed. Most of those who are undecided have a favorable opinion of the new president and are likely to give him the benefit of the doubt.
Some congressional Democrats are clearly nervous about the negative reaction many voters are having to the plan, but Obama assured them at a weekend retreat in Williamsburg, Va., that he will go all out to publicly campaign for it. Republicans argue that the 700-page-plus plan is loaded with excessive spending, much of which does not directly address the country's economic needs. The Senate version which reduced government spending and added more tax cuts will have to be reconciled with the $819-billion version that passed the House, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi already has vowed to restore many of the spending cuts.
The president has said that inaction on the rescue plan will lead to catastrophe. Voters are evenly divided on that point: 44% agree with him and 41% do not. However, he is holding a prime-time press conference tonight and going on a campaign-style trip this week to build support for the stimulus package. While he continues to enjoy solid job approval ratings, Obama's numbers have slipped in recent days.
The latest Rasmussen Reports poll - showing that 62% want more tax cuts and less government spending - is similar to a CBS News poll taken last week. That poll found that 62% said that reducing taxes will do more than increased spending to end the recession.Folks this shows that there is still time to change things around. If you care about your children's future, if you care about the future of the United States call congress TODAY!
Conducted February 6-7, 2009
By Rasmussen Reports
1* Generally speaking, do increases in government spending help the economy, hurt the economy, or have no impact on the economy?
35% Help
48% Hurt
7% No impact
10% Not sure
2* Generally speaking, do decreases in government spending help the economy, hurt the economy, or have no impact on the economy?
45% Help
29% Hurt
16% No impact
10% Not sure
3* As Congress debates the economic stimulus plan initially proposed by President Obama, would you like to see the plan include more tax cuts and less government spending, more government spending and less tax cuts, or would you rather see the plan pass pretty much as it is today?
62% More tax cuts and less government spending
14% More government spending and less tax cuts
20% Pass pretty much as it is today
5% Not sure
NOTE: Margin of Sampling Error, +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence
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