Obama Preferred Over Reagan -- In Fox News Poll
Check out this question from the new Fox News poll: "What do you think the nation's economy needs more of right now -- the economic policies of Ronald Reagan or the economic policies of Barack Obama?"
The answer: Obama 49%, Reagan 40%.
Late Update: Some other interesting observations about this whole poll, after the jump.
The poll also contains some really interesting questions about taxes, which in total make even clearer a classic rule of polling: It can all depend on how the question is phrased.
Check out this question, clearly intended to get an answer that voters prefer low taxes and smaller government: "Which of the following statements do you agree with more? 1. I'd rather pay higher taxes to support a larger government that provides more services. 2. I'd rather pay lower taxes and have a smaller government that provides fewer services."
The answer: 35% for high taxes and bigger government, and 55% for low taxes and smaller government. But take a close look: The question's message is that you, the respondent hearing this question over the phone, are going to be personally paying higher or lower taxes.
On the other hand, take a look at these two questions about progressive taxation: "Do you support or oppose raising taxes on households earning over $250,000 a year and, at the same time, lowering taxes for most other households?" The answer: Support 66%, Oppose 30%. Even 41% of Republicans like the idea.
And this one -- also noted by Greg Sargent: "Do you think asking the wealthiest Americans to pay more in taxes is a good idea because it levels the economic and social playing field, or a bad idea because it punishes hard work and success?" Good idea 55%, Bad idea 39% -- with 29% support from Republicans.
Josh
Elana
Matt
Eric
How long before the FOX pollster has to apologize to Rush? :-O
March 5, 2009 3:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
Pitch f*cking perfect.
Bravo, sir or madam, bravo.
March 5, 2009 3:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
Or to Reagan!
March 5, 2009 3:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
How many right-wingers will have coronaries when they see this headline?
March 5, 2009 3:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
Oddly enough people don't want to sell weapons to Iran and give the proceeds to terrorists. Who could have guessed?
March 5, 2009 3:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'm surprised that the b-movie actor got 40%, oh, that's right, it was a fox entertainment poll. Insanity probably pre-recorded the questions for the poll, along with a pitch for the heritage foundation.
March 5, 2009 3:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
LOL at B-Movie actor. But yeah, thats pretty impressive that Obama pwn'd the Fox Poll. Imagine the support he'll get when the economy starts going up.
March 5, 2009 4:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
I don't watch FOX News but I would love to watch the segment in which they present the poll that Obama's policies are preferred to Reagan's...teeheeheehee!!!
March 5, 2009 3:34 PM | Reply | Permalink
If that's what FOX found the true numbers are more like 75-25.
March 5, 2009 3:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
BULLETIN: FOX BUSINESS REPORTER NEIL CAVUTO WAS TAKEN AWAY TODAY IN A STRAIGHT JACKET. ITS REPORTED HIS APOPLEXY BEGAN AFTER READING A FOX POLL SHOWING OBAMA'S ECONOMIC POLICY FAVORED OVER REAGAN'S.
March 5, 2009 3:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
Kind of crazy that 40% still said Reagan.
Although I suspect many people don't realize how much damage Reagan did and are just answering based on personal feelings toward the two figures.
March 5, 2009 3:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
This is probably due to the advances made in geriatrics in the last few years. There's a larger proportion of Reagan fossils still alive.
March 5, 2009 4:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well, the fact that you still can't find anyone throughout the MSM other than Krugman who doesn't think that Reagan was second (at worst) only to George Washington in his ability to summon forth the glory of America may have something to do with Reagan's continued popularity and the public's favorable impression of him.
March 5, 2009 5:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
Careful. Believe it or not, Reagan was not that long ago. I went through my teenage years with Reagan as POTUS. I clearly remember that time and definitely did NOT approve of his policies. I am 38....hardly geriatric territory. Why risk honking off older people anyway? It isn't age per se that is the problem. It is one's world view.
March 5, 2009 5:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
seconded.
(except I'm a 34-yr-old "fossil" who remembers finding "trickle down economics" problematic as a child of the 80's. The "Greed is Good" generational ethos has always been scary to those of us who could see that we were the ones who would have to foot the bill.)
March 7, 2009 12:27 AM | Reply | Permalink
Hopefully with the obama presidency, the b-movie actor will finally get his rightful place in historical rankings of american presidents. He belongs right down at the bottom with the king. Maybe the spin that has been applied to his tragic administration creating this ridiculous fanatasy will finally be unspun. This economic catastrophe has its roots and genisis in the b-movie actor's administration.
March 5, 2009 3:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
Okay, seriously, how are they covering this there? Burying it? Accentuating the lack of a clear majority for Obama's policies? Attacking Obama for distracting people with Rush? Whatever the answer, I am certain that no snark we offer here will be funnier than the truth.
March 5, 2009 4:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
How many Republicans does it take to screw in a light bulb?
One.
Rush holds the bulb in the socket, and the Party revolves around him.
March 5, 2009 4:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
I just find it interesting that Reagan is still the standard bearer for the Republican party. He left office over 20 years ago. That means an ever growing number of the voting electorate likely don't even know what Reagan stood for, except for some dim notion of small government. What I remember about that time was that it was when we first had rampant homelessness in the country. Great legacy!
Also, I get so angry when people equate wealth with hard work and success as in the last poll question. That implies that people who don't make $250,000 or more are lazy and unsuccessful. It's a false analogy and I wish I heard a bigger outcry about this.
March 5, 2009 4:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
I get so angry when people equate wealth with hard work and success as in the last poll question. That implies that people who don't make $250,000 or more are lazy and unsuccessful.
That's exactly what I was going to post. And I think the general public's anger about that is reflected in the poll numbers - 55% seem to agree with us.
I would go on to say that people who make less than $250,000 a year usually work harder. No way in hell you can convince me a CEO works harder than a teacher or a nurse.
March 5, 2009 4:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
I read on one of the wingnut blogs today - can't remember where - that the people who work the hardest are those who make over $250K, excluding the stinking rich, trust fund babies. Why? Because they've succeeded. Because they went to college and even grad school.
That sanitation worker pulling in under $75K/year who gets up at 4am everyday to go to work, who puts in 20 hours of overtime each week to ensure that his kids will be able to go to college? He doesn't work hard because he didn't go to med schools and doesn't have private medical practice that employs 8 people. What a slacker!
March 5, 2009 4:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
Even that doesn't work. I have a master's degree, but I work in non-profit management so I won't likely ever pull down anywhere close to $250,000 a year. If a college education is a measure of success, there are so many professions out there that require a college education that don't have $250K salaries associated with them (my guess is the majority of professions).
BTW, I admire you for reading the right-wing blogs. I have often thought I should do so to know what the other side is thinking, but it takes me all of about 2.5 seconds until I get really irritated and have to come back to the comfort of TPM.
March 5, 2009 5:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
One of the biggest misconceptions held dear by our friends on the Right is that our society is a perfect meritocracy.
Factors like inheritance, nepotism, ruthlessness, and plain dumb luck don't seem to occur to them.
That's not even touching on the fact that an absurd level of wealth is simply not important to many people.
March 5, 2009 5:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
That's exactly it. I want to be comfortable and be able to send my son to college, but I chose a profession based on wanting to do something I was passionate about and that would make a difference (hopefully) in the world, not because I wanted to be rich. I wonder how many people who got an MBA can really say that (with a straight face)?
March 5, 2009 6:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
"That means an ever growing number of the voting electorate likely don't even know what Reagan stood for, except for some dim notion of small government."
They never did.
March 5, 2009 5:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
Now that is an astute observation.
The only ones who knew what the b-movie actor stood for was his super double secret inner circle and his astrologer. I'm guessing that it had nothing to do with small government or fiscal responsibility by the way. Government exploded under the b-movie actor and the deficit went through the roof. I'm thinking he stood for lining the pockets of his buds and that's about it, but that's only a guess.
March 5, 2009 5:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
You know Fox thought this one was a no-brainer. Their audience. Invoking Reagan's name. They so much wanted to trumpet how much the American people prefer Rush's America.
In. Your. Face.
March 5, 2009 4:34 PM | Reply | Permalink
There is really no bad news in this poll for Obama and the Dems. So when the FoxNews editorial staff got together after getting the results they must have struggled with the challenge of somehow making this bad news for Obama. The best they could come up with was the following headline and lede, from the posting on the FoxNews Web site:
FOX News Poll: Obama Believes in Bigger Government
Thursday, March 05, 2009
By Dana Blanton
Majorities of Americans think President Barack Obama is meeting, if not exceeding, expectations, and keeping his campaign promises. In addition, despite Obama's claim that he doesn't believe in bigger government, a new poll shows there is widespread belief among Americans that he does.
I love it. While 52 percent believe he is meeting expectations, only 14 percent think he is exceeding expectations. And even though people really like Obama and his policies and trust him and think his economic proposals are better than Reagans, a majority think that he believes in a bigger government that provides more services. He's a massive failure. May as well start impeachment proceedings immediately.
I love this, too:
"Many also agree with Obama's spread the wealth philosophy, or do they? Fifty-five percent think it is a good idea to tax the wealthiest Americans more because it levels the economic and social playing field; however 72 percent agree with the old adage "you cannot make the rich poor by making the poor rich."
How does the question about taxing the wealthiest Americans have anything to do with "the old adage"? And can you believe they actually asked the question about "the old adage"? I'm suprised they didn't ask, "Agree or Disagree: Loose lips sink ships", or, "Agree or Disagree: Stupid is as stupid does".
Ha, ha, ha.....
March 5, 2009 4:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
|FOX SPIN|
FOX News Poll: Obama Believes in Bigger Government
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,505174,00.html
March 5, 2009 4:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
This one probably went all the way up to Ailes' office.
Editor: Chief, look at these results. We've been working for hours trying to come up with a way to make these look bad for Obama and we're at a loss. I mean, he even beat out Reagan on the economy question!
Ailes: That's why I'm the boss, kid. Remember when he said he didn't like big government. Well look at this question here. People don't believe him. So people think he's a liar and a socialist.
Editor: Yeah, but they also really like him and his economic policies!
Ailes: Make the headline and lede about bigger government. Most of the readers of our Web site don't read further than that anyway. In fact, they probably won't get past the headline on the home page. They only drill down if Greta has breaking news from Aruba about Natalee Holloway.
March 5, 2009 5:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
You KNOWWWWWW Fox did this poll to try to shit on Obama it it backfired in their faces. YOU KNOW IT, if it was the other way around it would be blared on fox RIGHT NOW. LMAO! Hilarious.
March 5, 2009 5:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
Killer poll but this part is pretty stupid:
"On the other hand, take a look at these two questions about progressive taxation: "Do you support or oppose raising taxes on households earning over $250,000 a year and, at the same time, lowering taxes for most other households?" The answer: Support 66%, Oppose 30%. Even 41% of Republicans like the idea."
Since the vast majority of households make under $250k per year, it makes sense that this would have strong support. People are usually in favor of taxing other people but not themselves. Without historical data showing this as a statistically significant change in attitude, it's just fluff.
March 5, 2009 6:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
LMAO, talk about grasping at straws. What a bold headline.
March 5, 2009 6:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
say what you will, reagan was brilliant in "king's row."
March 5, 2009 7:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
I liked him better in "this is the army." Kind of set him up for the presidency.
March 5, 2009 8:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
This is like the greatest thing ever, watching the right wing's collective heads explode as they sputter and stammer and wail. SUCK IT LOSERS! We are taking our country back and there is absolutely nothing you can do about it. You had your chance and you screwed it up so bad we will NEVER listen to any of you again. No one under 30 will ever vote republican again, thanks to Bush. As it turns out Bush getting "re-elected" in 2004 represented the death knell of the republicans. I for one am eternally grateful.
March 5, 2009 8:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
A sign of the apocalypse...
Did Rahm recently email Rupert some pictures?
March 5, 2009 8:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
Health Care, Iraq, Guantanamo, Energy,Progressive budget...
What the hell, Obama isn't leaving himself anything for the second term!
March 5, 2009 8:33 PM | Reply | Permalink