By Paul Bedard, Washington Whispers
President Barack Obama is getting one thing right on the recession: The public agrees with his administration that high unemployment is George Bush's fault. And in equal numbers they blame Wall Street for job losses that are still mounting around the nation.
According to the latest Whispers Poll, compiled by Synovate eNation, equal portions of the public—25 percent—blame Bush and Wall Street the most for the 10.2 percent unemployment rate, which is really about 17.5 percent when the underemployed and those who have given up looking for work are factored in.
So where's Obama in the poll? He's dead last at 14 percent, even after congressional leaders at 17 percent. That should give hope to White House aides who are looking to spread some blame around in advance of this week's job summit.
The Whispers Poll
Unemployment has reached 10.2 percent. But it is actually 17.5 percent when those who have given up looking for a job or are underemployed are factored in. Who's most to blame for the job losses?
- Former President Bush: 25%
- Wall Street bankers and stockbrokers: 25%
- Corporate executives: 19%
- Congressional leaders: 17%
- President Obama: 14%
Source: The Synovate eNation Internet poll was conducted November 19-23 among 1,000 nationally representative households by global market research firm Synovate.




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