McClatchy
Poll: Voters want deficit reduction while opposing nearly every reduction measure
The only option that voters endorse, by a ratio of 3-to-2, is to raise taxes on the wealthy.
A majority oppose other often-discussed options, including raising taxes on everyone, cutting Medicaid or Medicare spending, raising the age for Medicare, or taking away tax deductions for charitable contributions or home mortgage interest.
The survey helps explain why it’s so difficult for Washington to solve a problem everyone sees and everyone wants fixed.
Blowback
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Not exactly surprising.
Valkyriepundit on December 11, 2012 at 12:02 PM
Did they poll on those new taxes on unicorn farms?
I bet that’ll go over big!
Galt2009 on December 11, 2012 at 12:04 PM
As they’ve been conditioned for decades to expect someone else too pay for their freebies, this isn’t surprising.
catmman on December 11, 2012 at 12:05 PM
Speaking of delusional Democrats (sorry to be repetitive and redundant)
Galt2009 on December 11, 2012 at 12:07 PM
OMG, seriously? The same thing happened when the Tea Party supporters were polled. The only things they were willing to cut were corporate subsidies and foreign aid!
Tea Party is a worthless lot of losers. Their only good point was the 2012 elections. After that, they became impotent, because deep down inside, the vast majority of them really support Marxism, as long as they get theirs, they are happy. Screw someone else!
astonerii on December 11, 2012 at 12:08 PM
Who didn’t know that? They’ve demonstrated that they want a European-style welfare state. They just don’t want to have to pay for it.
Give them the first dose of reality on 1 January 2013 by letting the Bush tax rates expire on everyone.
Until Americans desperately feel the pinch of the cost of the government programmes for which they demand, this willing suspension of disbelief will continue to exist.
Resist We Much on December 11, 2012 at 12:09 PM
I’d settle for a roaring economy that boosted revenues, but we all know how likely THAT is in this climate.
Tacitus on December 11, 2012 at 12:10 PM
Original Tea Party member here. I’d support abolishing Social Security, Medicaid, all federal welfare programs, and every Federal Department except for that Defense. Just about every Tea Party member I know supports the same.
ericdondero on December 11, 2012 at 12:11 PM
Ramirez gives his take on this issue. Great!
http://www.investors.com/editorial-cartoons/michael-ramirez/636566
L
letget on December 11, 2012 at 12:12 PM
No, the Tea Party lost because the Republicans sidelined them, purged them, and joined hands with the Democrats to defeat high profile Tea Partiers.
Third party time.
Doomberg on December 11, 2012 at 12:12 PM
Math is hard.
Kataklysmic on December 11, 2012 at 12:15 PM
They self defeated. When push finally came, they realized that they were hypocrites.
Him and his friends being the exception apparently.
I talked to quite a few Tea Party peeps in Houston and Phoenix. I asked them about entitlements. They certainly were not part of eric’s crew.
Thanks Eric! glad to hear we agree!
astonerii on December 11, 2012 at 12:16 PM
The voters are stupid. This past election should have told you that.
A majority still opposes Obamacare, and yet still re-elected its namesake and several senators who voted for it.
This is why all the gnashing of the teeth and hyper-analysis of why Romney lost is misguided. We have an extremely stupid electorate that talks out of both sides of its mouth, and Reagan couldn’t have won nationally in this climate.
In other words, we’re doomed.
thirteen28 on December 11, 2012 at 12:16 PM
You are a moron and a coward. Good luck with that.
NoStoppingUs on December 11, 2012 at 12:17 PM
Totally for that.
I think the party needs its own constitution, along with litmus tests to be a part of it.
astonerii on December 11, 2012 at 12:18 PM
Right, he should just go along with you in hoping that the GOP will help get this country on the right track.
topdawg on December 11, 2012 at 12:24 PM
Harlots on the dole
Schadenfreude on December 11, 2012 at 12:24 PM
Yes, good luck with all that.
I’m sure it will work out well.
Good Lt on December 11, 2012 at 12:40 PM
Riiiiiiiight! Such a keyboard kommando.
lostmotherland on December 11, 2012 at 1:10 PM
I’m blanking where i read it just recently, but one of Reagan’s ex-staff gave good evidence that low taxes (starving the beast) actually increases govt spending, while raising taxes slows it
This perfectly illustrates the logic– when 49% don’t pay a dime, they don’t want to cut a dime of spending
If everyone was taking a hit on 4/15, guess what? People may not be as enamored with all their “free” stuff
Let ALL the Bush cuts expire, and see how much people support all their beloved programs
then when we still have trillion dollar deficits, add in a VAT and see how badly they want to keep all their programs…
That’s why this class warfare BS is so infuriating– the fact that parasits have the gall to think it’s OK to raise taxes on others to get more free stuff for themselves, with a whole party feeding that mentality…
thurman on December 11, 2012 at 1:28 PM
It’s easy to want to reduce spending in the abstract. It’s much harder to want to reduce spending when it’s tied to things like refundable tax credits, money for dear old grandma, and pork to that program that helps out my community and gosh darn it we deserve to get some of our money back!
Of course, if you look at it as taking someone else’s money so you can pay for thing X, Y and/or Z that really makes you feel good because it’s so useful or such a good cause, it starts to look a bit different.
JadeNYU on December 11, 2012 at 1:29 PM
So would I, but defence has to be cut, too.
There Can Be No “Sacred Pork” – Defence Cuts Must Be On The Table
M2RB: Abattoir
EVERYTHING must be on the table.
Resist We Much on December 11, 2012 at 3:02 PM
Cut foreign aid. Yeah, that’ll solve things.
The savings will run the government for about 2 days.
SteveMG on December 11, 2012 at 3:22 PM