Gallup reports that Obama and the Democrats are decisively winning the PR war over the stimulus:
That said, if I were a Republican, I wouldn't change my behavior one bit. The question is not whether the stimulus -- or, for that matter, Barack Obama -- is popular now. It's whether it's popular in October of 2010. If it's not, then you want a clear record of opposition. (Message: We told you so.) If it is, then you're screwed no matter how you voted. And that strategy, of course, has proven a far better predictor of Republican behavior than the popularity of the bill.Incidentally, I'm not exactly sure what you call a political system in which politicians routinely ignore public opinion. Not one Republican House member voted for the stimulus bill. Not one of them thought their constituent's preference should outweigh their party's interests. The implications of that seem pretty profound, but we're so used to it by now that the most common response I've heard has been, "told you so."
That said, if I were a Republican, I wouldn't change my behavior one bit. The question is not whether the stimulus -- or, for that matter, Barack Obama -- is popular now. It's whether it's popular in October of 2010. If it's not, then you want a clear record of opposition. (Message: We told you so.) If it is, then you're screwed no matter how you voted. And that strategy, of course, has proven a far better predictor of Republican behavior than the popularity of the bill.Incidentally, I'm not exactly sure what you call a political system in which politicians routinely ignore public opinion. Not one Republican House member voted for the stimulus bill. Not one of them thought their constituent's preference should outweigh their party's interests. The implications of that seem pretty profound, but we're so used to it by now that the most common response I've heard has been, "told you so." 
