In a memo, David Axelrod encouraged wavering lawmakers to back the American Jobs Act in Congress this week, citing polling data indicating that the public was breaking hard for the bill.
“Since introducing the American Jobs Act (AJA), the American people have rallied around President Obama’s call for Congress to pass this plan,” he wrote. “The more people know about the American Jobs Act; the more they hear the President talking about it; the more they want Congress to pass the plan.”
Axelrod wrote that poll numbers were improving for the plan as Obama speaks out on its behalf. The president is hitting the road today to tout the bill in Pittsburg.
“In an early September, 43% supported the AJA and 35% were opposed (CNN/ORC Poll 9/11/11),” Axelrod wrote. “After three weeks of advocacy by the President, support has grown by nearly 10% so that 52% support the plan with 36% opposed (ABC/Washington Post Poll 10/5/11).”
He added that the shift was especially pronounced with independents, who went from trusting the GOP over Obama on jobs by a 42-37 margin in an early September Washington Post-ABC poll to trusting the president over them 44-31 in October in a poll byt the same outlet.
The Senate may vote on the bill as early as Tuesday and Democrats have struggled to present a united front on the legislation. Already, the bill has been altered to include a surtax on millionaires in order to garner more votes from within the party.
