Poll: GOP Losing Fiscal Cliff Negotiations
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.
Doug: “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.”
Where the opinion of the elites is closer to: slash government spending on everybody but themselves (and ramp the latter up significantly), while cutting taxes on themselves, while raising them for everbody else (through back-door fees).
Since any solution worth a d*mn will start with taxing the living f*ck out of the rich, and it’s also clear that they have too much money, the position of the majority of Americans is much better.
The deficit in FY 2012 was a whisker over $1 trillion……we can live with 400 billion which is about 2.5% of GDP (the average since the war)……The deal that will ultimately emerge will probably take about 200-250 billion out of this……growth will take care of the rest.
@Barry: There is an interesting and very accurate portrayal of the economic problem we face and a solution. Go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NfLUCBZ1is
All of this pretty much will be moot when Social Security implodes. Papering over a hole in the wall doesn’t actually fix the wall. So too being “off budget” doesn’t mean the money is any less green, or the debt doesn’t require debt service, or that interest rates won’t eventually have to adjust accordingly, thereby destroying the entire economy.
If the U.S. were a house it would be condemned.
And shouting hysterically about a paper cut doesn’t turn that cut into gangrene…just in case the meaning of that is lost on you…talking about “Social Security imploding” doesn’t mean that will ever happen, no matter how much you and your fellow travelers would like that to happen…
And if you got paid only for what you got right, you would have starved to death long ago…