Two Tales of One Poll

Susan Davis reports on politics. Venerable polling outfit Gallup released a poll today measuring American attitudes towards the nearly $900 billion economic stimulus package working its way through Congress. House Republicans and Democrats seized on the same set of data to offer two contradictory takes on whether or not Congress should approve the bill. “Support sinking as less than two-in-five Americans support Obama’s plan,” declared the Republican Study Committee, the conservative faction of House Republicans, in a release under the banner headline, “Heartbeat of America.” It take some data spin to draw that conclusion, considering overall 38% support passing the bill as proposed, while 37% said it should be passed but with “major changes.” Some 17% said it should be rejected altogether, while 8% had no opinion. The RSC is focusing on the 38% figure, which is less than four in ten (or two in five) of respondents, which puts a decidedly pessimistic spin on the stimulus. Yet House ... (link)