DC Journalists Love GOP Obstructionists, But Americans Don't

There appears to be a pretty big gap between what DC journalists think Americans think, and what Americans actually think. No better example of this can be found than the "winners" and "losers" that DC media are proclaiming in the wake of the passage of the stimulus bill, and what DailyKos/Research 2000 polling on the subject indicates.

DC opinion:  It's good for the Republicans!

• MSNBC's First Read lists among its winners "the Republican Party (which demonstrated unity after its big losses in November), and No.2 House Republican Eric Cantor (who raised his profile during the debate)." Reid gets a win, Pelosi gets a loss.
• Chris Cillizza also declares Eric Cantor a victor for maintaining party discipline (although he tags him a loser too for the AFSME ad).  Reid gets a "win" here too, and House Democrats are deemed losers, because "it appeared as though this was a Senate-run production."
• Fox News unsurprisingly says "Republican lawmakers may turn out to be winners. Most of them voted against the package, and in their largely unified opposition, they found an issue to galvanize the party after two consecutive dispiriting electoral defeats."  Reid and Pelosi don't exist.
• Liz Sidoti also says the Republicans win:  "Adrift after back-to-back electoral losses, they found their voice against a Democratic speaker and an expanded majority. They held to the GOP's cornerstone of fiscal conservatism as they led the effort to define the package as too costly and too quick."  Likewise, Jon Boehner:  "He strengthened his hold on his job, keeping his rank-and-file united against the House version." Again, Reid gets a win.  She gives Pelosi and Mitch McConnell losses.

The Rest of America: "Thanks For the Help"

According to Daily Kos polling, however, the change in public opinion from a poll taken from Feb. 2-5 to the latest one taken from Feb. 9-12 indicates that Pelosi, Reid and the Democratic Party have actually gone up in public approval -- all had a net change of +2 points, while the Congressional Dems scored a +3.  Conversely, Republicans went down -- the Republican Party had a net change of -2, while McConnell, Boehner and Congressional Republicans all had a loss of -3.

And if you go back to the beginning of the year and track how the public is viewing the political situation in Washington DC, the changes are even more dramatic:

Pelosi and the Democratic Party are the big winners, scoring a +5.  Congressional Dems score a +3, and Reid has actually lost two points.  

But contrary to beltway opinion, the Republicans are getting hammered.  While the Republican Party has only had a net change of -2, those directly involved in the stimulus battle are taking huge hits:  McConnell and Boehner at -11, and the Congressional Republicans who are getting such applause from the beltway denizens score a -10.

As Markos notes:

The supposedly hated "San Francisco Liberal" Nancy Pelosi not only has the only net-positive favorability rating of the bunch, but she has a net favorability advantage of 40 points over her hapless and clueless Republican counterpart. The 18-point gap in the net favorability ratings in the Senate leadership is less dramatic, but still significant. Especially since Democrats are stuck with the ineffective Harry Reid as their leader.

The "Reid wins, Pelosi loses" narrative only seems to stick with people who believe what Joe Lieberman thinks matters.

And what about those cherished "independents" that Davids Brooks and Broder always claim to speak for?  Congressional Republicans have only a 15% favorability rating, with a 70% disapproval rating. (You can find the crosstabs here.)  I eagerly await columns from both reflecting this irrefutable consensus that by anyone's measure falls well outside the margin of error.

DC lives in an economic bubble and remains largely insulated from the troubles hitting the rest of the country.  No matter who is in power, no matter who is on the receiving end of taxpayer largesse, the money finds its way there. Fairfax and Loudoun Counties in VA and Howard County MD (where lobbyists and contractor beneficiaries of the defense/homeland security boon of the past 8 years live) are the top three wealthiest counties in the country, and seven more DC suburbs chart in the top 20.  

The people who live in DC, who pretend to speak for the rest of the country, have no direct experience with what is happening there -- and their attempts to handicap DC politics have more to do with the inside baseball games that seek to protect their own interests above all else.  The fact that three and a half million Americans will have jobs as a result of the passage of this bill, or that people who are unemployed or living on food stamps will continue to be able to eat, doesn't seem to graze their analyses.

The American public looked at DC, they saw the Democrats trying to do something, and they liked what they saw.   People who are deeply worried about staying employed and taking care of their families do not seem to have the universal high regard for House Republicans who stood together to oppose helping them out that the DC establishment do.

Jane Hamsher blogs at firedoglake.com

Comments

[truthglow]

The Republican Party consists of a bunch of losers. We love you Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow! The rest of today's journalists had better get used to the fact that "We The People" are on to the TRUTH, and we are not taken in by SPIN & PROPAGANDA anymore. Bush has ruined it for you propagandists forever, so start telling the truth, or forever hold your tongue!!!

[vidian6]

Again another example of the News being nothing more than corporate Crap! This and many other polls do nothing but confirm to me that the socalled news organizations are not telling you the news, but selling you the news.

[1ladybug]

The Grand Old, out of touch, out of ideas, obsolete, heading for obscurity, obstructionist Party favored by the Washington Press that is just as out of touch with the people. They are all living in a bubble and telling each other that they have it right and know what the people really think with none of them really listening to the people. Boy are they in for a surprise just s they were when Obama won the first caucases and primaries.

[TheSnarkingLot]

This is a fantastic piece, if you ask me. The press and their interests are certainly not served by facing up to the fact that the right is devoid of substance right now. (Seriously, who could blame them, they have had their butts handed to them in a monstrous way over the last two election cycles).

Opposition to the stimulus in particular, Obama in general, etc. is really more manufactured than you might guess. Does the average American, suffering through this slump, really have all that much time and energy to be cheerleading obstructionists? Doubtful. Not to say there isn't some ideological diversity out there, but come on. It really is in the interest of the DC press corps to exaggerate, no?

http://TheSnarkingLot.blogspot.com

[magicwanz]

Perhaps Americans are beginning to realize that "Fair and Balanced" is bulls**t. As a news policy, it serves ratings, not the truth. It's all about creating drama out of thin air, while ignoring the real issues we should all be paying attention to. This serves the powerful who wish to entertain and distract while they pick our pockets.

[girlwild]

Everyone needs to get it: the it being that Republicans and their failed policies were voted OUT in 2006 and 2008.

Obama and the rest of the Democrats need to get it too, and get it right for WE THE PEOPLE.

[AlteSoldier]

I honestly feel that many reporters in the MSM are receiving payment or kickbacks to report certain views in their writing to the public. Newspapers do not seem to act freely or ethically.

[sandyhh]

Washington is all about winners and losers. The way the rest of us in the Heartland see it we're all going to be losers if someone in the Washington doesn't start taking positive action to stop the bleeding.

Worrying about what might happen if we prime the pump is not an option. The stimulus bill is actually covering all the things that should have been done the last eight years instead of starting an unnecessary war and opening the markets to manipulation by speculators.

Jane has it right. Voters wanted to see something happen for the Middle Class. Those who don't like it are getting in our way and may need to be removed in 2010. I'd rather have someone in charge who audits the books before setting up objectives and strategies with criteria to evaluate them than to have the same crowd who has been shooting from the hip with hunches and faith-based assumptions.

There is now responsible action and then their is the last eight years.

[wagthedog1001]

DC journalists are very afraid of Obama's power with the populace, and the fact that he may indeed change the corrupt system in which the MSM is entrenched. It isn't ideological. It's corruption and they are all on the inside and if someone comes in from the outside to upset that status quo they are feared. They will lose their bonuses as surely as the Wall Street boys.

[colette]

May I add, as someone in the biz, that it's not Republicanism that media types love (except the Fox News lackeys). It is DRAMA and CONFLICT and THEATRICS.

They're as happy to go overboard with noxiously overplaying the Octuplets story, as they are hyping the Republican torpor.

Why? Simple. They're terrified viewers will get BORED and think people won't watch if they're simply reporting the facts and pondering them intelligently. It's a circus,baby! And since the time of Richard Nixon's presidency, they're convinced that they have to give every cockamamie thing a mainstream politician says equal time with more sensible utterances. Otherwise someone might brand them as (omigod no!) LIBERALS.

Really, this is mainly a matter of justifying their existence. But MSNBC has proved that you don't need to toady to the right to get an audience. You just have to have strong reporting, some witty formats and some smart commentators. Is that too much to ask?

[Mikeeee]

"Really, this is mainly a matter of justifying their existence. But MSNBC has proved that you don't need to toady to the right to get an audience. You just have to have strong reporting, some witty formats and some smart commentators. Is that too much to ask?"
Apparently it is.

I disagree with you that they're not repub sycophants. The passes that repubs get on question and answer sessions is stunning. the same questions asked of a dem and they get called on every one. repubs are constantly allowed to make ridiculous or outright lying statements without question, but a dem making a common sense statement is challenged to justify it. History is not going to treat msm very kindly. Then again, the way things are going with the new speak and truth speak in place who knows, but it doesn't resemble reality.

[Snowball]

If it were as you say, they'd offer up Democrats as a counter to right wing opinion instead of just Republican talking points all the time with no refutation or balance. If it's about theatrics, you would think they'd give both sides.

[Mikeeee]

Thanks for this article Jane.
From the comments I'm gathering that everyone has forgotten that with few exceptions the msm remains repub, right wing religious sycophants with no apparent change on the way. I said in mid November and I'll repeat it now. They have gone into election mode already, they're going to consistently attack anything Obama does as not the best thing for America. It is still unfathomable to me that Obama only got 54% of the popular vote. With the bush record and mccain/palin ineptness I figure he should have been in the nid to high 60%.

[Sandmanj]

Republican ideology and their media talking points are straight out of the Twilight Zone.

It would be laughable if it were not so pernicious.

[twocrows]

thanks for this post, Jane.
it has been amazing to me how the MSM has tried to turn this into a loss for Obama -- while grudgingly admitting that the bill passed in Congress despite the Rethuglicans' obstructionism.

how does that work, exactly?
you vote against something, it passes-- and you're declared the winner.
you work to get something passed, it passes -- and you're declared the loser.

[Nonpartay]

I know what you mean. And not only that, I'm getting pretty sick of Obama doing something good, like signing a bill or making a great speech about what he's going to do to help the country, and the MSM has to find some Republican to interview to whine about it. It's like up, down, up, down. Can't they just analyze what has happened without having to do the obligatory interview with the grinch who stole Christmas? I'd love to hear more media people trying to give us the facts of a situation and showing how it may help or hinder things, in other words, doing their jobs. Since in so many cases the Republicans have the facts wrong anyway, it's a waste of our time to hear their opinions on some straw man (horrors! This bill gives money to ACORN!) Yeah, right. Sorry for the rant, but I've been thinking about this all day.

[kendraro]

stop watching

[Wrenigade]

I HOPE YOU GUYS -- THE "EDITORS of HUFFPOST -- WILL INITIATE MORE ARTICLES AND YOPICS OF THIS NATURE. JANE YOU'VE GOY MY VOTE FOR THE PULITZER!!

[ErikW65]

It's not just the DC bubble, it's the national MSM, and I'm sure they've affected (infected?) a lot of people everywhere. I just was talking to a friend of mine who is a telecommunications salesman, and who is apolitical, but tries to be aware of current events, so as to avoid appearing ignorant at business meetings. We start talking politics and he opens with "So Obama really got his hat handed to him by the Republicans, huh?"

[Nonpartay]

LOL! AS IF!