Sixty percent (60%) of U.S. voters say the economic stimulus plan that is emerging from Congress is mostly what Democrats want rather than a truly bipartisan product.

Twenty-five percent (25%) think the plan now pegged at $789 billion is a bipartisan effort, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Fifteen percent (15%) are not sure.

Eighty percent (80%) of Republicans say the stimulus is mostly a Democratic plan, while Democrats themselves are evenly divided on the question. Sixty-two percent (62%) of unaffiliated voters say it’s mostly what Democrats want, while 22% characterize the plan as bipartisan.

Overall, support for the plan has increased over the past week since President Barack Obama began aggressively campaigning for it. However, reaction from voters remains very partisan. Seventy-three percent (73%) of Democrats support the plan along with just 13% of Republicans. Those not affiliated with either major party are more evenly divided—40% in favor and 46% opposed.

Republicans complain that they have been shut out of the final House-Senate negotiations on the stimulus plan which they argue is too heavy on new government spending. But the plurality of voters (43%) say their opposition is due more to partisan politics than to the high level of spending.

Thirty-eight percent (38%) say spending is the primary reason for GOP opposition, and 20% are undecided on what motivates congressional Republicans.

Most voters (55%) believe President Obama has made about the right amount of effort to get Republicans involved in the recovery plan, while six percent (6%) say he’s done too much to get their participation. Thirty-four percent (34%) say the president has made too little effort to involve GOP congressmen in the discussions.

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls.)

Obama’s Monday night press conference and his campaign-style events this week have increased support for the stimulus plan which congressional Democrats hope to have ready for his signature on Monday.

The number of voters who strongly approve of Obama’s performance also has risen in the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Approval Index since his prime-time press conference earlier this week.

Seventy-seven percent (77%) of Democrats say Obama has made sufficient effort to involve Republicans in the development of the recovery plan. Among Republicans, however, 62% take the opposite view.

Most unaffiliated voters (52%) think Obama made about the right amount of effort to be bipartisan, while 35% say he did too little and seven percent (7%) too much.

Most Americans expect a large amount of taxpayer money in the recovery plan and an accompanying bank bailout plan to be wasted anyway because of inadequate oversight by the government.

Democrats are still trusted more than Republicans to handle the economy by a 44% to 39% margin, but their advantage on the issue has been slipping steadily since November.
Earlier this month, a plurality of voters said Obama was governing on a bipartisan basis while most believed members of Congress from both parties were acting in a far more partisan manner.

Please sign up for the Rasmussen Reports daily e-mail update (it’s free)… let us keep you up to date with the latest public opinion news.

See survey questions and toplines. Crosstabs are available to Premium Members only.