Poll: Nearly 90% Are Following AIG Story Closely
A stunning number from a new Rasmussen poll shows just how high the stakes are getting in the political battle over the AIG mess:
How closely have you followed news stories about bonuses paid to executives at American International Group, the firm know as AIG that received a $170-billion government bailout?
55% Very closely
33% Somewhat closely
8% Not very closely
2% Not at all
2% Not sure
And more than three out of four think AIG execs should cough up the bonuses.
Wow. Eighty-eight percent are following the AIG story very or somewhat closely. Only ten percent aren’t following it closely or at all. This is via Eric Kleefeld, who rightly notes that this would seem to render David Axelrod’s claim that people aren’t thinking about the AIG fiasco somewhat problematic.
Separately, TPM Readers are having a rousing discussion of the Axelrod comment that’s worth a look.
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And Axelrod hasn’t been running his own polls on this issue? That makes his statements and those of Emanuel all the more puzzling.
By the way, Greg, your TPM link goes to your blog’s bio page for Axelrod.
AIG is a symbol for the whole damn bailout mess as a whole. Folks have been told to grin and bear it and they’ve had enough and this is their outlet.
It’s unfortunate that Obama’s prime time presser isn’t until Tuesday night. There is real opportunity to harness and focus this in a positive manner that could lead to sweeping regulatory changes for the whole system.
link to TPM fixed. apologies…
Very surprising comment from Axelrod. Usually he’s more on his game than this.
A couple of weeks ago, we had Rick Santelli decrying aid to homeowners who were in trouble with their mortgages. It was a classic case of Republican spin — blaming the little guy for a disaster fomented by fat cats.
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Last week, we had Obama introducing his education reforms, one of which was merit pay for teachers. Yes, teachers are responsible and accountable for the performance of their students.
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And this week, we get the AIG fiasco. A bunch of insurance execs who took huge risks — risks that now threaten to sink world financial markets — reaping millions of dollars in extra pay… on the taxpayer dime.
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It’s no wonder people are hacked off. While huge numbers of Americans are facing job losses and home foreclosures, the rich seem to be getting richer while the average citizen bears the brunt of the economic disaster.
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Same old story.
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I think people are looking for a champion, and what they are seeing, instead, is that no one in Washington is really on their side.
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That’s the equation of this thing. People want to believe someone/anyone is looking out for THEIR interests.
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So, yes, this is small potatoes in the grand scheme of the economic meltdown, but it is a symbolic issue that bares gut-level feelings on the street.
sorry greg but this just made my head hit my desk. is following the story equivalent to 90 % feeling outrage about it? Heck i am paying attention to it but I am outraged at the facile comparasions being made between this and the criminal Nixon about it..
Here’s the rest of the poll Q & A:
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2* Should AIG executives who received bonuses be required to give the money back?
76% Yes
17% No
7% Not sure
3* Who will benefit more from the recent government bailouts – Wall Street or the average U.S. taxpayer?
65% Wall Street
18% Average U.S. taxpayer
17% Not sure
4* Is most of the bailout money going to the people who created the economic crisis?
68% Yes
18% No
14% Not sure
Josh at TPM puts his finger on what now appears to be the reality of the situation – the degree of impotence that even the US government (who singularly has the ability to bail out this mess at least temporarily) has in relationship to these institutions.
I’m not sure that this poll actually contradicts Axelrod. He said that people “don’t care” about the AIG scandal, not that they “aren’t following” it. If you have watched the news or read the paper in the last two weeks, the AIG bonus scandal has been pretty much impossible to ignore. So to read the poll as “88% of the public cares deeply about the AIG bonus scandal” is a stretch. This doesn’t mean that I think Axelrod was right, I just don’t think this particular poll refutes him.
Oh, now the republican-leaning Rasmussen poll is a reliable source? Puhlease! Hatch is exactly right! Just because folks are following the story, doesn’t mean that is what they are talking about around their kitchen tables, as Axelrod said. Really, it’s hard not to “follow” the story, because that’s all they talk about on the cable news channels; not the local news mind you – except a brief mention about the passage of the bill today in the House and the protests outside of AIG’s offices in DC.
I live in the DC area and work in DC and, hell, we aren’t even talking about it. Instead, on the economic front, we’re trying to figure out how we’re going to sell our houses that have been on the market for over a year, pay our credit card bills because they’ve raised the interest rates to 27+%, and help our contractor friends who are losing their jobs.
Yes, I’m upset that the bonus thing happened, but it’s not going to help me or my friends resolve any of the things that matter in our lives! It certainly isn’t going to help me pay my bills. So, for those of you inside the bubble (Greg & TPM too), get a grip.
Rasmussen is Rasmussen; it’s no more reliable today than it was yesterday.
Bob nailed it above…
I’d like a piece of this bailout money. I mean – since they’re apparently shoveling it out the door with no strings… like a gift really.
Where do the little people apply? Being as I’m on the hook now for what… over a 100k? – Redistribute about 5m my way. I’ll do my part to help the local economy all I can.