... some 57% favor the bailout being offered by the government...

They're scared.  Sound familiar?

Is it inexplicable?

Hardly.

First, most people do not have the time to pore over the proposal and critique it. So, all else being equal, they begin without any evidence one way or the other about whether it should be accepted.

But all else is not equal.

Most Americans, despite what they may say, are disposed to look to a powerful figure to save them when they are told that there is a crisis. Consequently, most people in the US are disposed accept as true whatever it is that whoever is in power tells them. And, Paulson is the one in power, so people are disposed to believe what he says.

Also, most media outlets are doing the usual "balance" thing, where they substitute two partisan talking heads for genuine journalistic competence, which requires the journalist doing some digging and then presenting her/his considered judgment in the form of an article or newscast. (Lord I hate the way people construe "media objectivity".)

Finally, Hank Paulson last week was presented to the public by almost all major media outlets as a brilliant and trustworthy man. Since people had no opinion about him (or had never even heard of him) prior to last week, they take the only data they have - the lionization by the media - as their baseline assessment of the man. It's hard to go from there to rejecting his proposal to "save" the American economy.

Recall, after all, how easily the American public fell for the Iraq war. And recall how easily the American public has fallen for the lies the McCain camp has put out. Most people simply accept what they hear.

So, I am not surprised at all. This is what we should expect. After all, no one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American people. And that, it seems, is almost *certainly* what is going on right now.

We may have just won this election.

There are still weeks to go and god knows what happens next - but trust has clearly been established.

As Obama has said over and over:

"The American people are not stupid!"

Well perhaps President McCain will offer Obama a position in finance and econimics.

It looks good -- but not good enough. I'm going to donate again today. We gotta keep fighting like we're losing.

Meanwhile, in another corner of the blogosphere, Jim Geraghty clamps his hands over his ears and sings "la, la, la I can't hear you..."

Inexplicably, some 57% favor the bailout being offered by the government, while only 19% say that same government is doing a good or excellent job addressing the meltdown

I don't see this as "inexplicable". You can favor the bailout because the Bush Administration has scared you into thinking that the world as we know it will end without this bailout while at the same time recognizing that this bailout shouldn't ever have been necessary in the first place. And that the bailout is the most palatable option offered by a thoroughly incompetent administration.

It is hoped that the people realize that this is not a 'crises', that it can be worked out with the next administration; and that it can not be worked out by the current. Remember the social security crises...it still hasn't been worked out but people are still retiring.

Whenthe sky really does fall, do you trust McCain/Palin to hold up the umbrella for the true Americans?