If you want a reason why Speaker Boehner changed his position on tax rate increases, you can find it right here:
Nearly seven in 10 Americans disapprove of how congressional Republicans are handling the fiscal cliff, according to a poll released Tuesday, with a bare majority expecting a deal to be reached by the end of 2012.
Only 17 percent of Americans approve of how the GOP is handling negotiations, while 69 percent disapprove, according to a new CBS News poll. Fifty percent disapprove of how Obama and congressional Democrats are negotiating, while 38 percent approve.
Half of Americans think Congress and the president will reach a deal to avert the cliff, which amounts to a package of widespread tax increases and deep spending cuts that will go into effect at the beginning of 2013. Forty-four percent think a deal probably won’t be reached.
An overwhelming majority of Americans — 69 percent — continue to support raising taxes on all income above $250,000 a year, with even a majority of Republicans supporting such a deal. Only 45 percent support reducing government benefits “for people like you,” with 48 percent opposed
Of course, as James Joyner noted last week, the problem we face is that the American people’s opinion on what should be done to deal with our budget problems is somewhat schizophrenic. They want to raise taxes and cut spending, as long as it doesn’t impact them personally. From the standpoint of personal self-interest that makes sense perhaps, but in terms of actually dealing with the problems that our country faces it is decidedly unhelpful.
