Fox News Poll Asks Phony Questions About "Stimulus And Spending" Bill
The latest Fox News poll shows an interesting way that respondent perceptions can be manipulated for a desired result -- in this case, to focus on those big-spending Democrats in Washington.
In the latest poll, three questions in a row referred to the stimulus bill as "the economic stimulus and spending plan," with two of them listing an $800 billion price tag. It should be noted that the poll falsely says the bill "includes spending nearly $800 billion dollars of taxpayer money," omitting the fact that the bill's price tag includes $350 billion in tax cuts.
Then question 19: "Do you think the economic recovery legislation that passed last week is better described as a stimulus bill or a spending bill?"
The answer was Stimulus 31, Spending 52.
On the other hand, many other questions show results roughly in line with the AP/GfK poll earlier today: Voters widely approve of Obama, just barely approve of Congressional Dems, widely disapprove of Congressional Republicans, and narrowly approve of the stimulus bill. Voters say Obama genuinely sought to work in a bipartisan way with Republicans while the GOP did not return the favor, etc.
Not surprisingly, though, people think the imaginary bill that spends $800 billion in taxpayer money is too big.
Josh
Matt
Eric
The correct answer is "Yes".
February 19, 2009 5:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
Darn! Beat me to it!!
February 19, 2009 5:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yeah, it's a stupid question.
"Do you consider this apple to be red or "not yellow"?
February 19, 2009 6:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
I've said it before and I'll say it again. Republicans, Blue Dogs and the "wired for the GOP" MSM all literally think "stimulus" is a synonym for "tax cut." If they've heard of him at all, "Keynes" is just the name of a guy from ancient history, like Aristotle, who had a bunch of ideas they don't really know but that they understand are now known to be laughably wrong.
The stuff that comes out of their mouths only makes sense when you take this into account.
And, unfortunately, they've managed to take a significant percentage of the population with them on this trip down Stupid Lane.
February 19, 2009 5:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hey, maybe they're on to something. I think it would be pretty fantastic if we actually could move to a status quo where tax cuts were referred to as "spending government money". :P
February 19, 2009 5:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
Usually FOX polls aren't too bad but this one reveals that we need to take FOX polls with a grain of salt because they are now partisan.
February 19, 2009 5:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
Actually, I just dialed up the Wayback Machine and discovered that they've been partisan since at least 2500 B.C., which is, I believe, when they think the world was created in a day.
February 20, 2009 11:41 AM | Reply | Permalink
When Obama traveled to Williamsburg, VA (on Feb, 5), to talk to the House Democrats on "retreat" there, here's how he described the bill; he said:
- - - - - -
. . . complaints the package was a spending bill rather than a stimulus bill were off base.
"What do you think a stimulus bill is?" he said. "That's the point."
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/02/05/obama.stimulus/
- - - - - -
Then, Obama ridiculed anyone who thought this stimulus bill was not a spending bill.
February 20, 2009 11:21 AM | Reply | Permalink
What? No question about billions written into the bill for ACORN, killing unborn babies, and electronic intrusions into our personal medical history? Wow, they're really slipping over there. I at least expected some subliminal messaging on those topics -- if it's there, I'm not seeing it.
File under: FOX Missed Opportunities
February 20, 2009 11:26 AM | Reply | Permalink
There's hope. From the CAP newsletter:
Another question asked respondents whether they believed that President Obama "wants the financial crisis to continue so government can take over more businesses and grow the federal government." Twenty-three percent said they thought Obama wanted it to continue while 68 percent said they think Obama wants the crisis to end. The poll also asked if Obama's ousting of General Motors CEO Rick Wagoner was "a dangerous move towards socialism that goes against the American way of doing business." Forty-one percent of respondents agreed, while 53 percent said it was "an unfortunate but necessary move to try to save the American way of business."
Only 23% think Obama wants the crisis to continue! Hell, I'll bet more people still think the earth is flat. And 53% think ousting Wagoner was justified. And this is Faux News!
The majority is NOT buying the right-wing propaganda any more.
April 3, 2009 3:52 PM | Reply | Permalink