Poll Shows Americans Overwhelmingly Support Regulatory Reform

A new Washington Post/ABC News poll shows that Americans overwhelmingly approve of financial regulatory reform, with two-thirds of respondents supporting the measures. Half approved of how President Barack Obama has handled the issue, with an equal number disapproving. Additionally, and not surprisingly, respondents approved of easier-to-understand measures, regardless of the partisan politicking surrounding them. For instance, the people polled approved of creating a bank-funded liquidation pool — derided by Republicans as a “permanent bailout” fund — more so than derivatives reform, a complicated measure with bipartisan support.