Note: this is a cross-post from The Realignment Project. Follow us on Facebook!
Introduction:
One of the great ironies of the Obama administration so for is that one of its greatest accomplishments, the stimulus bill, is widely viewed with apathy by the public (44% believe it had no impact, while only 9% more believe it made things better than made it worse, according to the New York Times) but actually was a success; economists agree that the stimulus bill created or saved 3-4 million jobs and, on average added about 2.75% to GDP growth per year.
Understanding the divergence between economic reality and public perception is key to developing an economic policy for the future that both works on the ground and can maintain a majority coalition behind it in the polling place.