ECONOMIC WOES

Obama Eludes Blame

Poll: Americans blame Wall Street, Congress.

The economy is in the dumps and health-care reform has been stalled, but at least President Obama can let out a little sigh of relief. In the latest New York Times/CBS News poll, Americans are more willing to blame former President George W. Bush, Wall Street, and Congress for the nation’s economic troubles instead of Obama. While the majority of Americans still say the president needs to provide a clear plan for job creation, they applaud his efforts at bipartisanship and support his stance on issues from "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" to repealing the tax cuts for the wealthy that were put in place during the Bush years. However, the poll also found that 51 percent of Americans view the Democratic Party "unfavorably."