It's a symptom of the times. People don't care about science today, they care about jobs, and NASA is trying to play that tune to keep themselves afloat.
When joblessness is 3% and you can (not easily) find a job if you get fired from another, landing to the moon is quite interesting for you, and for anyone else.
When you are struggeling to pay the bills, finding a job, or securing your current job, landing to the moon is a quite stupid thing the USA gov. is spending the money on.
Although it won't cost the US economy only a little (few billions) comparing to its size, people won't be easy with it. They are in trouble living in earth, and are not looking for the moon or massively expensive explorations.
It's a pattern of the last 3 decades of NASA manned spaceflight. It hasn't always been a jobs program, but it's been mismanaged for so long that being a jobs program keeps it afloat.
