Three in four Californians say US 'on the wrong track': Poll

Washington, Sep 6(ANI): A new poll has shown that nearly three in four Californians said the country is on the wrong track, and nearly half favoured slashing government spending to tackle the financial crisis.

The poll findings are a setback for US President Obama, who will unveil a jobs package this week and push it through Congress.

The poll showed only 37 percent of California voters said they favoured strategic government investments to stimulate the economy, the Los Angeles Times reports.

About 49 percent conformed to the Republican view that slashing government spending to restrain the deficit would lead to prosperity, according to the survey sponsored by the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences and The Times.

"The argument of 'We need to cut the size of government, we need to reduce the deficit' has won, even in California," Research Director for a Republican firm that co-directed the poll, American Viewpoint, David Kanevsky said.

About 60 percent were dissatisfied with the nation's trajectory but they sharply disagreed over how the US government should steer clear of the recent recession.

California Republicans and Democrats said they would prefer their leaders to reject tax hikes for Republicans, avoid cuts to Social Security and Medicare for Democrats even if concessions are needed to tame the federal deficit.

Democrats said they would rather Obama "stand up" and "fight" Republicans rather than compromise, even at the expense of solving problems.

Among the GOP faithful, 75 percent said they would prefer a 2012 presidential candidate to highlight jobs and the economy as a priority, compared to eight percent who viewed national security as significant and four percent who saw social issues as paramount.

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