Misstating Rove column, Kilmeade baselessly claimed 66 percent oppose “the stimulus bill”

Discussing a column by Karl Rove, Brian Kilmeade baselessly claimed that "[s]ixty-six percent of you are against the stimulus bill." In fact, Rove noted in his column that according to a CNN poll, 66 percent of Americans are opposed to a second stimulus bill -- the poll showed majority support for the bill enacted in February.

During a discussion of Karl Rove's April 1 Wall Street Journal column on the April 2 edition of Fox News' Fox & Friends, co-host Brian Kilmeade baselessly claimed: “Sixty-six percent of you are against the stimulus bill.” In fact, Rove noted in his column that, according to a March 12-15 CNN/Opinion Research poll, “66% of Americans [are] opposed to a second stimulus bill” [emphasis added]. He did not assert that 66 percent of respondents oppose “the stimulus bill.” Indeed, the CNN/Opinion Research poll Rove cited in his column found that 54 percent of respondents support the only stimulus bill to be considered by Congress in recent months: the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which President Obama signed into law on February 17.

Kilmeade also stated that “only 39 percent support Barack Obama's budget, and that is decreasing,” echoing Rove's assertion in his column that "[i]n March, a Gallup Poll found that positive impressions of the Obama budget dropped five points. Only 39% now harbor supportive views of it." But neither Rove nor Kilmeade noted that the percentage of Gallup respondents that “harbor supportive views” of Obama's budget represented a plurality of all respondents. According to the March 25 Gallup poll, 39 percent of respondents said their “impression” of Obama's proposed budget is “generally positive,” 27 percent said their “impression” of the Obama budget is “generally negative,” and 33 percent said they “don't know enough to say.”

From Rove's April 1 Wall Street Journal column:

In March, a Gallup Poll found that positive impressions of the Obama budget dropped five points. Only 39% now harbor supportive views of it. A CNN/Opinion Research Poll in mid-March found that support for the stimulus bill Mr. Obama signed into law shifted 11-points against the bill in five weeks, with 66% of Americans opposed to a second stimulus bill.

From the April 2 edition of Fox News' Fox & Friends:

STEVE DOOCY (co-host): Karl Rove has got an item in The Wall Street Journal today, where he talks about how the Democrats have -- and the White House -- have tried to brand the GOP as the party of no. You know, everything we're trying to get accomplished in this country, the Republicans are saying, no, no, no.

Well, as it turns out, there was a closed-door meeting with the House Democratic caucus last week, and The Associated Press apparently reporting that the president said to a Democrat, “Don't think we're not going to keep score. We are keeping score, brother.” And that is what Barack Obama said to a Democrat by the name of Peter DeFazio (OR). And the implicit message there is, DeFazio voted against the stimulus.

So, forget about targeting Republicans, it looks as if the White House is also targeting Democrats who are not in line with them.

GRETCHEN CARLSON (co-host): Well, and lots of Democrats have come out -- not lots -- but several have come out to say that they're against this huge budget bill as well. And so, there are 12 other Democrats that the White House is -- apparently is taking aim at -- some of these moderate Democrats, the people that we call “Blue Dog” Democrats, who the Republicans would love to shift to their side and be against this, because by all accounts, guys, the Democrats have the votes on this thing.

KILMEADE: Right. [Sen.] Ben Nelson [NE] --

CARLSON: Because it'll pass unless some of the people flip.

KILMEADE: Ben Nelson, [Sen.] Kent Conrad [ND], [Sen.] Mark Pryor [AK], just three of the 10, and they're going after them -- and it's described by Karl Rove -- the same way they went after Rush Limbaugh, the same way they went after Jim Cramer, and Mark [sic: Rick] Santelli.

DOOCY: Chicago politics.

KILMEADE: Just saying, “Listen, we know who you are, and we know what we need, and we know eventually you'll need us.”

DOOCY: Yeah.

KILMEADE: So, it's getting tough to be a moderate, and I wonder how long that's going to happen, because [Sen.] Evan Bayh [IN] is another one, who was almost vice president.

DOOCY: Yeah, and what they're also doing -- the White House -- is enlisting the help of MoveOn.org and a bunch of the campaign elements.

KILMEADE: They meet with them regularly, with Valerie Jarrett. I couldn't believe that.

DOOCY: They do. And, extraordinarily, they were trying to get to, you know, a clarion call to get everybody on board, and I think only 5 percent of even the volunteers wound up signing a petition. So they've got their work cut out for them.

KILMEADE: Sixty-six percent of you are against the stimulus bill, and that's going up, and 39 -- only 39 percent support Barack Obama's budget, and that is decreasing.