We are about to conduct a fascinating political science experiment. President Obama’s approval rating remains impressively high, given the bad economy: The Marist poll released yesterday puts him at 53%.
Americans over 65 however remain his weakest constituency. Question: how much can you move American opinion with $250 per person of free money? We’re about to find out!
9 responses so far
1 SFTor1 // Oct 15, 2009 at 11:34 am
The day this web site loses its cheap sarcasm is the day it might begin to gain traction.
2 DFL // Oct 15, 2009 at 11:39 am
On Maryland’s Eastern Shore, $ 250 will get you a cord of firewood, three pounds of lump crab meat, and a lunch for two at Hardee’s. It’s a winner!!!!!
3 LFC // Oct 15, 2009 at 12:20 pm
The answer is, not nearly as much as an unfunded prescription drug bill. This is peanuts in comparison, but it still sucks in the same way … just a smaller amount of suck.
4 Arch // Oct 15, 2009 at 2:13 pm
I don’t think it’s going to move senior’s opinions one iota. Failing to give the money however would do so.
5 JJWFromME // Oct 16, 2009 at 8:50 am
Not that George Bush ever sent $400 checks out to practically every voting American, right?
6 midcon // Oct 16, 2009 at 5:01 pm
Since I did not qualify George Claus’ $400, I am anxious to see if Obama Claus will be drop something down my chimney. I may drive over to the Eastern Shore and get some of that crab meat!
7 spikeytx86 // Oct 16, 2009 at 5:32 pm
I don’t mind the $250 payment. Folks are hurting and it will come in handy. I doubt it will buy him votes though.
My problem, the same one I had with Bush as well, is that it’s not paid for. We are talking about $8 billion dollars. He couldn’t find $8 billion worth of crap to cut, even for just one year?
8 Kanzeon // Oct 16, 2009 at 6:25 pm
I thought this was “stimulus” just like Bush did a few years earlier.
Bush’s stimulus had a modest effect on the economy. $8 billion will buy some economic impact.
I don’t think that this will gain him much with the senior demographic, and I think that Obama is savvy enough to know that. It will buy him a little goodwill among voters generally, perhaps, since he’s helping out the old folks, in spite of the rules. It seems a fairly noncontroversial move – modest upside everywhere, little downside.
9 Arch // Oct 17, 2009 at 11:44 pm
I think the premise is that this money is a gift because there is not cost of living increase to social security this year (because there hasn’t been enough of a increase in the actual cost of living.)
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