I know a very good journalist who reminded me that most editors think news is something that happened to them. If they got sick while in the hospital, you can bet that there'll be a series on hospital-acquired infections. If they got stuck in horrendous traffic for the umpteenth time, time for a story on commuting and infrastructure. But if things don't change, and it's the same thing this week as last week, well, that's not news.
Well, here's non-change that is news: the blowhards on cable TV, the so-called 'experts' on politics and media, don't know what the hell they're talking about. Still. And they don't speak for the public. Also.
Early stumbles by the Obama White House over some high-level appointments caused a firestorm in the Capitol and on cable TV this week, but most Americans dismiss them as just a normal part of staffing a new administration.
In a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll taken Wednesday, those surveyed by nearly 3-1 say their confidence in President Obama's ethical standards and his ability to manage the government and improve the economy has gone up rather than down since his inauguration last month.
"They're willing to cut him some slack," says Gary Jacobson, a political scientist at the University of California at San Diego. "It's saying they're more interested in things like the economy and what's going to happen to their jobs and their incomes and their 401(k)s. This other stuff is just a distraction to them.
As for the stimulus bill:
The survey also shows that public opinion of the economic stimulus package working its way through Congress has not changed: 52% favor it; 38% oppose it. In late January, the figures were 52% and 37%.
But Lindsay Graham volunteered to be on cable! And he doesn't like the Democratic stimulus bill! Cover it!
The Daily Kos Research 2000 weekly tracking poll is out today, and we do see a 6 point drop in favorability from the astronomical 75 to the merely stratospheric 69. This is an across the board thing, with Dems at 89 (92), Rs at 34 (40) and indies at 73 (80). Note that McConnell and Boehner check in at 23 (26) and 19 (22), respectively. Cong. D's and Rs are 38 (40) and 21 (24). Sausage-making isn't pretty, but there's no resurgence of Republican popularity. Obama remains phenomenally popular with the public. [Added: as a matter of fact, looking at the newly available graphic, you could argue there's no drop at all, just the end of an inaugural bounce.]
Now, if you've been reading Daily Kos, you will know that sooner or later, Obama is going to have to move to gathering Democratic votes and blast the Republicans for not moving far enough to the middle. Bipartisanship can only go so far. The Democrats will vote for the bill and the Republicans are going to have to take the rap for opposing both the stimulus and the temporary expansion of the safety net which is in this bill. They'll be more disciplined about it, but that's not news.
Pundits like Chris Matthews who think Republicans 'won' because they pulled an individual provision or two out of the stimulus bill that then passes need to go back and look at the numbers. The public thinks Obama is doing just fine, and if we see the pundits scoring what's a win by the number of votes it takes to call something 'bipartisan' (i.e, getting six R votes is a loss because they shoulda had seven), it's fair to remind them they got it just as wrong when they tried to score the debates the same way. Remember, the media called the debates for McCain while the public said Obama cleaned McCain's clock.
So when you hear the bloviators trying to explain why a win for the Democrats is really a win for the Republicans, just pay no attention to them. Ask them to show you where an incoming President has pulled off such a big bill this fast. And remember, they have their own agenda, and it isn't covering the news.