CBS Poll: 57% Of Americans Believe We’re Still In A Recession
And why wouldn’t they? While on paper the recession may have technically ended in December of 2009, Americans don’t live their lives on paper. Things aren’t suddenly better because some index of economic calculations has indicated that the recession is over.
It doesn’t matter what the media reports of what some economist says, if you’re out of work and can’t find a job the recession isn’t over for you. And given these poll results, there are a lot of people feeling that way in this economy:
CBS News senior White House correspondent Bill Plante reports that, according to the new poll numbers, Americans have a rather pessimistic view of the chances for economic recovery, with 57 percent say they simply don’t believe the National Bureau of Economic Research‘s assertion that the recession is over and things are already improving.
Only 37 percent of those polled backed the assessment, which has been repeated by the Obama administration.
But going beyond a simple disagreement between Obama and the public at large as to whether or not we’re seeing economic recovery, it’s worth remembering that when Obama claims his budget reduces the deficit he’s basing that claim on assumptions that the economy will be growing and pumping more revenues into the government’s coffers:
Plante reports that the president’s projected deficit reductions, outlined Tuesday in his proposed 2012 budget, contradict the people’s opinion — his plan is based, in part, on assumptions that the economy will continue to improve.
In other words, Obama is taking a conveniently rosy view of the economy and basing his spending and revenue assumptions on that, but not many people actually living in the economy agree with his assumptions.
Tags: Barack Obama, budget, deficits, Economy, jobs, national debt
