HOW THE DEMOCRATS MISSED OUT WITH THE STIMULUS BILL

John Zogby, in a Forbes article, suggests that the Democrats are using the wrong words. The public doesn't like the term "stimulus" but does support job creating programs. The GOP can attack a phrase like "stimulus" in a way that's much harder when you're talking about "creating jobs."

But Zogby puts too much emphasis on the semantics. For example, he cities there issues that got majority approval:

--Tax breaks for employers who must use the money to add employees, 81%

--Federal aid to states and localities used to retain jobs in education, public safety and other public functions, 58%

--Public employment programs such as those created during the Depression, 56%.

Says Zogby: "The three approaches that voters liked were all, to some extent, part of the stimulus bill. But when they were lumped under the popular title of 'stimulus bill,' support plummeted.

It's true that the above approaches were minor parts of the stimulus bill, but they were far from the top of the list. Thus it wasn't just the words that were wrong; it was the DemoCrats' priorities.