The media will harp and carp. Rep. Nancy Pelosi and MSNBC's Katy Tur will claim that $1K is a crumb. But the numbers are in. And they are quite striking.
Here were Quinnipiac's farewell numbers for Obama.
A total of 39 percent of voters say the American economy is "excellent" or "good," while 60 percent say it is "not so good" or "poor." This is the best score on the economy since December, 2003, when 40 percent of voters said the economy was "excellent" or "good."
Only 21 percent of voters say Obama's policies have helped their personal financial situation, as 33 percent say these policies have hurt them personally and 44 percent say they've made no difference.
Those numbers have gotten a whole lot better.
In a survey conducted February 2 - 5, a total of 70 percent of American voters say the U.S. economy is "excellent" or "good," the highest rating since Quinnipiac University first asked this question in 2001 and up from 66 percent "excellent" or "good" January 10.
That's 39% to 70%.
It's why the approval ratings don't matter. They never did.
For some people elections are tribal popularity contests. But for a lot of voters, they're a referendum on their lives and the direction of the country.