So Complicated …
… only a caveman could get it. Average American cavedweller even more confused about Wall Street clam woes than Ugh. Bloomberg:
Sept. 24 (Bloomberg) — Americans oppose government rescues of ailing financial companies by a decisive margin, and blame Wall Street and President George W. Bush for the credit crisis.
By a margin of 55 percent to 31 percent, Americans say it’s not the government’s responsibility to bail out private companies with taxpayer dollars, even if their collapse could damage the economy, according to the latest Bloomberg/Los Angeles Times poll.
Poll respondents say Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama would do a better job handling the financial crisis than Republican John McCain by a margin of 45 percent to 33 percent. Almost half of voters say the Democrat has better ideas to strengthen the economy than his Republican opponent.
Ugh does the math, scraches head, figures out that almost half of voters say they want Obama for Big Chief anyway.* Ugh also thinks voters are sounding kind of cave-servative. Pull yourself up by your own loincloth. Meanwhile …
Almost two out of three people surveyed also oppose government loans to help automakers. Congress is set to vote on a bill this month that includes $25 billion in low-interest loans to General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler LLC to develop more fuel-efficient vehicles.
If those vehicles so efficient, Ugh says, let them fuel themselves.
Anyway, cave electorate apparently easily tricked by clever shamans:
A poll by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, asking a different question, found that Americans, by 57-30 percent, favored government action to save financial companies.
The Pew poll told respondents that the government is “potentially investing billions to try and keep financial institutions and markets secure” and asked whether that’s the right thing to do. The Bloomberg/Los Angeles Times poll asked whether “the government should use taxpayers’ dollars to rescue ailing private financial firms whose collapse could have adverse effects on the economy and market, or is it not the government’s responsibility to bail out private companies with taxpayers’ dollars?”
More than 60 percent respondents to the Bloomberg/Los Angeles Times poll say lack of regulation is partly responsible for the financial and housing crises, while 24 percent say that wasn’t the problem.
Asked who is to blame for the collapse of financial institutions like Lehman Brothers and AIG, nearly a third of Americans blame the firms themselves. One-quarter say the Bush administration is primarily responsible. Only 11 percent point fingers at Congress.
Does Ugh need to paint it on a cave wall? OK, Ugh explain one more time. OK, OK, Ugh’s smart Homo Sapiens pals explain it, and Ugh pretend like he understand.
Cavewoman draws a line from point A, clam woes, to point B, taboo tribal boundary crossing.
* Oops, grunted too soon. Washington Post/ABC poll puts Obama up 52-43 percent. Ugh furrows his low brow. Turns out bad news is good news for Obama for Big Chief campaign.
Topics: Neanderthals, money, pols
Posted by Jules Crittenden at 8:09 am on Wednesday, September 24, 2008
3 Responses to “So Complicated …”
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September 24th, 2008 at 10:27 am
Amazing. Congress is clearly responsible for much of this, and yet they blame the President?
September 24th, 2008 at 10:29 am
Also, one of the few members of Congress who tried to do something about it is suffering as a result? Even more amazing.
September 24th, 2008 at 5:49 pm
Via Powerline: NYT says Democrats responsible for financial crisis
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E06E3D6123BF932A2575AC0A9659C8B63&scp=1&sq=%22barney+frank%22&st=nyt
Ah, but that was 5 years ago! Things change! Now it’s time to blame the Republicans for everything. Keep your eye on the prize, people!