INSIDE WASHINGTON

Political Insiders Poll

by James A. Barnes and Peter Bell

Saturday, March 21, 2009


Click here to read how prominent political bloggers responded to these questions.

Q: Grade the performance of the president's economic team in inspiring public confidence.

Democrats (91 votes)

Average C

A     2% 
B    31%
C    52%
D    14%
F     1%

A. "Things are also relative. Imagine if McCain were in there?"

B. "Hard to get an A in this environment, even if you are [National Economic Council Director] Larry Summers."

B. "They let the stimulus message get hijacked by the Republicans. But, recently, the team seems more focused on trying to build confidence."

B. "Unfortunately, negative stories like AIG bonuses seem to be driving the story, not the economic team."

B-. "They are too tied in to the system that caused the mess: too much group Wall Street-think."

C. "Their egos would probably not like to admit it, but the team is riding confidence in Obama -- not in them."

C. "Message to Larry Summers and Secretary [Timothy] Geithner: Wringing your hands after a corporate abuse of the bailout billions is not a policy. Let's see the outrage accompanied by some actual controls and tough management. How about firing some of the abusers?"

C. "The public lacks confidence in the economic team because the public lacks confidence in the economy. Substance, not style, is the problem."

C. "Does AIG or the Treasury secretary inspire more confidence? Can I pick what's behind door No. 3?"

C. "While their efforts may be commendable, inspirational it's not."

C. "Obama can't pitch every day. Where are starters two through four in this rotation?"

C-. "Geithner may be brilliant but is a PR disaster."

D. "Consumer spending isn't going to start until they stop spreading daily doom and gloom. They have gone overboard on several fronts; autos is a good example. Administration officials have done more to hurt the 'American brand' than the Japanese ever did."

D. "The only person in the administration with the public-relations skills to help sell their efforts is Obama himself. And he does not strike me as an expert on the economy. I might not care for him very much, but Mitt Romney has that aura and would be awfully good at the job of 'economist-in-chief' if he were in the job right now."

F. "More Larry Summers: Get him his own show on MSNBC and CNBC."

Q: Grade the performance of the president's economic team in inspiring public confidence.

Republicans (97 votes)

Average D

A     0%
B     5%
C    28%
D    48%
F    19%

B. "CNN/ORC [polling] shows confidence is slowly improving, arguably in spite of, rather than because of, the administration. But facts are facts."

C. "In private discussions, they seem to know exactly what to do, but in public they seem to be tentative, ambiguous, unsure."

C. "Most of the grade is based upon the public's belief that it's not their fault and a shared desire to see them do well. That patience is not inexhaustible, however."

C. "[Timothy] Geithner is getting better, but [Council of Economic Advisers Chairwoman] Christina Romer should never be allowed on television again."

C-. "They've about run out the clock on the 'Bush-left-us-this-mess' excuse. They're the Harvard guys with big brains: Time to take charge and fix this mess."

D. "Secretary Geithner has had a classic deer-in-the-headlights look, even as he and the president try to out-shrill Congress on AIG."

D. "They appear to be apologists for Big Government, status quo, Wall Street giveaways."

D. "It's incredible how many mistakes they've made -- from failing to staff Treasury, to proposing an absurd budget, kowtowing to labor, and then shooting at Mexico and NAFTA."

D. "When you have to parade Paul Volcker out to show that there are adults in the room, the administration has credibility issues."

D. "Tim Geithner is a Saturday Night Live punch line. He is damaged goods -- permanently."

D. "Their crusade against lobbyists, Wall Street, and business in general means they are left with professors and Hill staff to manage a once-in-a-century financial crisis."

F. "Rather than focusing on the economy, the Obama administration seeks to dabble in every other domestic issue."

F. "They are a study of contradictions and an endless array of competing messages. In the face of a crisis, they look like they are just winging it."

Q: How much will bailout fatigue hamper President Obama's ability to advance his economic agenda?

Democrats (91 votes)

A great deal        16 percent
A moderate amount   57 percent
Only a little       25 percent
Not at all           1 percent

A great deal

"If no additional stimulus money is necessary, Obama will be fine. But if that isn't the case, getting a majority in either the Senate or House will resemble a [game of] three-card Monte."

"Their argument for 'needing' to do a wide range of extremely expensive initiatives at a time of huge economic distress does not pass the commonsense test for most folks."

A moderate amount

"The bailout drama seems to dominate the news cycle at some point every week, making it difficult to keep positive momentum."

"It won't impact it much, as long as there is some perceived progress: This is a critical issue for too many people."

"People want to know why if they work hard and pay their mortgages, Obama's solution is for them to pay for everyone else's too."

"Voters are upset about it but haven't lost perspective on where it stands relative to the other daunting problems in reviving the economy. The elite press, on the other hand--"

"The administration's challenge is to avoid being seen as a shill for the big banks and instead being seen as a fighter for Middle America."

Only a little

"The stock market uptick was a bit of a sigh of relief, though if we hear more about AIG millionaires, there will be a revolt."

"The public is still with him and knows how serious the crisis is."

Not at all

"He has been full steam ahead."

Q: How much will bailout fatigue hamper President Obama's ability to advance his economic agenda?

Republicans (97 votes)

A great deal         53 percent
A moderate amount    36 percent
Only a little         9 percent
Not at all            2 percent

A great deal

"Before TARP, the public already believed government was spending too much. Now we've had TARP, TARP II, the stimulus, and the omnibus. This administration risks becoming a caricature of itself -- massive new spending is their response to everything."

"Congress has trouble drinking from a sippy cup, and Obama is feeding it with fire hoses. Result? Good news: Most of this stuff is not going to get done."

"Voters are getting tired of feeling like they're getting taken for a ride by Wall Street. That's doubly true in the districts the 'Blue Dog' Democrats represent."

A moderate amount

"The CBO score of the Obama budget will prove once again that the president isn't even in the ballpark on how much all of his taxing and spending will cost the American people."

"The people are still hoping for something good to happen. And they won't give up on him for a few more months."

Only a little

"As long as the economy is bad, the public will support anything without regard to future costs."

"If the stock market continues to rise, that adrenaline rush will overcome bailout fatigue. But watch out if it does not."

Not at all

"So long as the Democrats remain united, anything Obama, [Nancy] Pelosi, and [Harry] Reid want, they will get. They own D.C."

National Journal Insiders

Democratic Political Insiders Jill Alper, Brad Bannon, Dave Beattie, Andy Bechhoefer, Cornell Belcher, Mitchell W. Berger, Mike Berman, Paul Brathwaite, Donna Brazile, Mark Brewer, Ed Bruley, George Bruno, Deb Callahan, Bonnie Campbell, Bill Carrick, Martin J. Chavez, Tony Coelho, Jerry Crawford, Jeff Danielson, Peter Daou, Jim Demers, Tad Devine, David Di Martino, Debbie Dingell, Monica Dixon, Patrick Dorton, Anita Dunn, Jeff Eller, Steve Elmendorf, Carter Eskew, Eric Eve, Vic Fazio, Peter Fenn, Scott Ferson, Gordon Fischer, Tina Flournoy, Don Foley, Don Fowler, Vincent Frillici, Gina Glantz, Niles Godes, John Michael Gonzalez, Joe Grandmaison, Anna Greenberg, Stan Greenberg, Pat Griffin, Larry Grisolano, Michael Gronstal, Lisa Grove, Marcia Hale, Paul Harstad, Laura Hartigan, Mike Henry, Leo Hindery, Jr., Harold Ickes, Marcus Jadotte, John Jameson, Steve Jarding, Jonathon Jones, Jim Jordan, Gale Kaufman, Kam Kuwata, Celinda Lake, David Lang, Penny Lee, Chris Lehane, Jeff Link, Bill Lynch, Steve Marchand, Jim Margolis, Paul Maslin, Keith Mason, Susan McCue, Gerald McEntee, Tom McMahon, Phil McNamara, David Medina, Mark Mellman, John Merrigan, Steve Murphy, Janet Napolitano, David Nassar, Marcia Nichols, John Norris, Tom Ochs, Tom O'Donnell, Scott Parven, Jeffrey Peck, Debora Pignatelli, Tony Podesta, Larry Rasky, Bruce Reed, Mame Reiley, Steve Ricchetti, Will Robinson, Steve Rosenthal, David Rudd, John Ryan, Wendy Sherman, Terry Shumaker, Kevin Shuvalov, Phil Singer, Erik Smith, Doug Sosnik, Darry Sragow, Katrina Swett, Sarah Swisher, Jeffrey Trammell, Ed Turlington, Mike Veon, Rick Wiener, Bridgette Williams, JoDee Winterhof, and Jim Zogby.

GOP Political Insiders Dan Allen, Stan Anderson, Gary Andres, Saulius (Saul) Anuzis, Rich Ashooh, Whit Ayres, Brett Bader, Mitch Bainwol, Gary Bauer, David Beckwith, Clark Benson, Wayne Berman, Brian Bieron, Charlie Black, Kirk Blalock, Carmine Boal, Jeff Boeyink, Ron Bonjean, Jeff Buley, Luke Byars, Nick Calio, Danny Carroll, Ron Christie, Jim Cicconi, Cesar Conda, Jake Corman, Charlie Crist, Greg Crist, Diane Crookham-Johnson, Fergus Cullen, Mike Dennehy, Ken Duberstein, Steve Duprey, Debi Durham, Frank Fahrenkopf, John Feehery, Don Fierce, Carl Forti, Alex Gage, Sam Geduldig, Adam Geller, Benjamin Ginsberg, Bill Greener, Jonathan Grella, Lanny Griffith, Janet Mullins Grissom, Doug Gross, Todd Harris, Steve Hart, Christopher Healy, Ralph Hellmann, Chris Henick, Terry Holt, David Iannelli, Clark Judge, David Keating, David Kensinger, Bruce Keough, Bob Kjellander, Ed Kutler, Chris Lacivita, Jim Lake, Steve Lombardo, Kevin Madden, Joel Maiola, Gary Maloney, David Marin, Mary Matalin, Dan Mattoon, Brian McCormack, Mark McKinnon, Kyle McSlarrow, Ken Mehlman, Jim Merrill, Tim Morrison, Mike Murphy, Phil Musser, Ron Nehring, Terry Nelson, Neil Newhouse, David Norcross, Ziad Ojakli, Jack Oliver, Todd Olsen, Van B. Poole, Tom Rath, Scott Reed, David Rehr, Steve Roberts, Jason Roe, David Roederer, Dan Schnur, Russ Schriefer, Rich Schwarm, Brent Seaborn, Rick Shelby, Andrew Shore, Kevin Shuvalov, Don Sipple, Robin Smith, Javier Soto, Fred Steeper, Bob Stevenson, Eric Tanenblatt, Richard Temple, Heath Thompson, Jay Timmons, Warren Tompkins, Ted Van Der Meid, Dirk van Dongen, Jan van Lohuizen, Stewart Verdery, Dick Wadhams, John Weaver, Tom Wilson, Dave Winston, Ginny Wolfe, and Fred Wszolek.

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