Americans Not Blaming Obama For AIG: Poll

Americans are angry about AIG, and they want the government to stop the bailed-out firm's executives from getting bonuses. But according to a new USA TODAY/Gallup Poll, they don't blame President Obama (or Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner) for the upsetting rewards.

Nearly half of those surveyed (46%) say AIG management is "most to blame for the fact that these bonuses were paid." Almost one in five (19%) finger Congress, while 8% blame Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and 7% say President Obama bears responsibility.

News articles in recent days have highlighted Geithner's role in the payouts. Most recently, the Wall Street Journal reported that aides to the Treasury Secretary worked with AIG on the issue for months. And members of Congress have argued that the White House is at least partially to blame. Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) told the press that the Treasury was to blame for allowing "excessive executive compensation." Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), asked about a loophole that allowed banks receiving bailout money to give bonuses, "This was a Senate -- I'm going to cut you off -- this was Senate/White House -- this is Senate-White House language."

Comments

[Geria]

Americans apparently haven't made the connection between Geithner's support for AIG bonuses and the fact that Obama hired him and expresses confidence in his policy! It stands to reason, Geithner is doing what Obama wants. If Obama felt the way he says he feels, he'd ask for Geithner's resignation.

[Haitiana4Obama]

What?! President Obama had nothing to do with the bonuses, in fact it's his call for justice along with Cuomo's which has forced these employees to return much of the money. Are you serious about Geithner resigning? I can understand the legal reasoning behind that clause, but I think President Obama should simply make it a requirement that all such changes in bills whether supported by Dodd or other prominent leaders, should go by him first and foremost. Axelrod and President Obama were against these bonuses from the beginning, but like a true leader President Obama accepted the blame, but thankfully America knows the depth of this man integrity and are not holding him personally responsible. I know Republicants want to see him fail but it won't be over this.

[makrom]

Once again, the public WAY ahead of the press on this one.

If only the DC echo chamber would get their heads out of their A$$, Drudge, Politico and FNC, then maybe they would see the country around them has changed.

[moonflowerjewelry]

of course we aren't blaming him. only the Republican Queens of the Double Standard think we should be.

[JohnBryansFontaine]

The REAL fault lies with all those horrible, greedy Union bosses who run AIG

[PatrickforO]

Sorry to tell you, Phillip Taylor, but the current economic situation is the direct result of Republican trickle down economic theory, exacerbated by the neoconservative penchant for deregulation. The war in Iraq we are spending $10 billion a month on is the direct result of the neoconservative penchant for empire. Our president must now act to reverse about fifteen years of mismanagement and disastrous policies. It is kind of like losing weight, Phillip. It took years to put it on, and one cannot expect it to come off over night. The things Obama is doing with the stimulus package, his leadership with the big 20, his efforts to get people together to unbreak the healthcare system in this nation - all these are the right things. But, I've said it before; any time we try to do something that is simply the right thing to do, we can always count on a Republican to stand up and oppose it.

[PJay1]

Maybe they don't blame the administration for the actual bonuses, but I saw a poll today that said 41% approved of the president's HANDLING of the situation (after the fact), while 42% DISapprove.

And let's keep in mind that these polls lag a bit as they are not in real time.

[rkg2004]

Sorry, this one says 61% APPROVE of the way he is HANDLING the economy.

http://www.pollingreport.com/obama_ad.htm

Rush, when will you learn that you shouldn't make statements you can't back up?

[PhilipTaylor]

This Problem is Getting Larger!

Did I vote for a MAN who told us he was "FOR the Middle Class" and "AGAINST the Wall Street/Washington Corruption" and the "Treatment of Prisoners!"

Or did I vote for a Pansy A$$?

1. We know $5 Billion has flowed from Wall Street to Congress!
2. We know Bu/Ch Administration t o r t u t e d people!
3. We know Wall Street did "Insider Trading" and misrepresented its products!

Yet no Special Prosecutors - plural, no limits on lobbying money to Congress, no regulations, no Executives Fired, and no Committee Term Limits!

We also know that for every $1 Main Street Gets Wall Street gets $1,000!

Where is the BEEF?

[j0n0]

You were conned.

[PJay1]

You're right - no special prosecutors for ANYTHING Let's just be 'forward looking' why don't we...

But when it comes to these obscene bonuses and the ponzi schemes and fraud perpetrated on us by the banks and wall street, well that's when we become 'a nation of laws' according to Summers, Geithner, and the president. They can't rip up those contracts because, you know, the lawyers will sue. Hello? To quote Jay Leno: "So sue me."

I am a law abiding citizen, but I don't get to choose which laws I will abide by or which contracts I will honor.

[JamesA1102]

Just another example that the people are smarter than our millionaire pundit class.

[x004Ronin]

"Americans Not Blaming Obama For AIG: Poll"
Wow, it's almost like most Americans realize that Obama is not all powerful and therefore cannot simultaneously micromanage the entire U.S. financial system in addition to forming foreign policy and getting legislation passed.

What AIG was dumb, and Americans can tell the difference between the CEO Liddy and President Obama. It's that simple.

[SOLERSO68]

I didnt buy the repub spin but im releived that even republican arent buying it...of course a concede that republicans may only be 7% of the poulation anymore theres limpbaughs "20 million"

[weatherwaxx]

Why should Americans blame President Obama for a financial quagmire created by corporations given the greenlight to plunder America by the Bush regime?

If the GOP had any concern for America, they would be working with the President instead of trying to sabotage economic recovery.

REMEMBER: 95% of the media are owned by the same 6 corporations that owned George W Bush. Do not expect them to have anything constructive to say about Barack Obama.

[swo68]

I can understand people feeling AIG shouldn't have paid those bonuses given the current economic situation - I'm one of them. But Obama signs a bill that specifically allows them to do it, and he only gets 7% blame from the people. Hopefully it's a withdrawl from his credibility bank.

[weatherwaxx]

This was all set up under the Bush regime, and President Obama is trying to shovel the stable clean with the Republicans all working as hard as they can to sabotage him.

Why SHOULD Americans blame the President? It's pretty clear that the corporate scam artists and the Greed Old P***ks are the ones behind the problem.

[swo68]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWSjUe0FyxQ

[hortonhearsawho2]

Wonderful, its all about u....

[swo68]

You're all about me...

[lisak2008]

It's a shame that folks weren't outraged when the Bush admin fought against having ANY provision in the TARP legislation that disallowed the bonuses or a cap on the salaries of execs. I guess it only matters when a Democrat comes into office trying to clean up the crap that a repube left behind. Oh well.

[swo68]

Notice how the crap was still slipped through, even without Bush being there? Our politicians aren't that intimated by us. They're supposed to serve us, but they serve themselves, no matter who's in office.

[JamesA1102]

The stimulus bill didn't specifically allow them to do it. By your logic every bill that Obama has signed allowed the to do it because those bills didn't have a provision forbiding bonues retroactively.

[swo68]

Did you just land on planet earth? There was an amendment in the bill that was specifically added regarding bonuses. What the he.ll do you think all the controversy is about?

Do yourself a favor and google the following: dodd amendment stimulus

Do some reading.

[instarx]

You are using a typical Republican disinformation technique that everyone has figured out. Whenever one hears "Clinton signed a Bill that...", or "Obama signed a Bill that..." you can be confident that there was a large, complex piece of legislation involved that had a small paragraph or sentence that had unfortunate consequences. No one falls for that any more.

Republicans do that sort of thing all the time with budgets when they try to pull out some silly sounding item to disparage the entire bill. For example: McCain's ridicule of a $100,000 "overhead projector" that turned out to be a planetarium star projector, and Bobby Jindal's ridicule of money for volcano monitoring (which actually turned out to be very useful last week when many aircraft were routed around an erupting volcano in Alaska).

Republicans should really try to learn some new tricks - the old ones are getting really, really stale.

[dakotawoman]

AMEN!!!

[swo68]

So let me get this straight.

Dodd creates an amendment that would stop the bonuses. The Treasury pressures him to change the language to allow previously contracted bonuses. Obama signs the bill, that allows the bonuses to go through.

This wasn't some amendment that was hidden away. It was specifically discussed by the Treasury.

And you want to use some kind of "no one falls for that any more" defense?

Truly baffling.

[ChiGuy]

8% on Geithner?
7% on Obama??

LOL!!!

Sorry cons, but your phony propaganda over the past few weeks has fallen on deaf ears.

[Seattlelite]

Common sense really. This economic disaster didn't happen in the last 50+ days on Pres. Obama's watch. But most important we must summons patients and give him sometime. Bush had all the signs of being a failure his first term and 50% of country gave him another 4 years. Pres. Obama is already proving in less than 3 months he's a huge improvement.

[weatherwaxx]

patients = folks who go to the doctor

patience - what I think you meant. And you're right. AIG and the other corporations set up this scam under Bush and he gave them big bucks with no strings. Why isn't there an uproar over that?

[rsprags]

The polls show us that the President and the American People are in synche!

[hortonhearsawho2]

ann , whats her name looks like apole...a little wider but....