Toplines - Geithner - January 18-19, 2009

National Survey of 1,000 Adults

January 18-19, 2009

1* Just one more quick topic… How closely have you followed recent new stories about the Timothy Geithner, the man nominated to be the next secretary of the Treasury?

17% Very closely

26% Somewhat closely

27% Not very closely

29% Not at all

1% Not sure

2* Several years ago, Geithner failed to pay self-employment taxes on time. Last November, just before he was nominated to be Treasury Secretary, he paid the back taxes and interest totaling $43,000. If everything else about Geithner is acceptable, should his failure to pay taxes on time prevent him from becoming the next Treasury Secretary?

41% Yes
41% No
18% Not sure

3* Geithner will not be prosecuted for his failure to pay taxes on time. Is there a double standard that has one set of rule for well-connected people like Geithner and another set of rules for typical middle-class taxpayers?

66% Yes there is a double standard
19% No there is not
15% Not sure

4*If someone appointed by President Bush had failed to pay taxes on time, would the media have been more aggressive, less aggressive or about the same?

49% More aggressive
15% Less aggressive
29% About the same
6% Not sure

NOTE: Margin of Sampling Error, +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence