In a Washington Whispers poll released yesterday, twice as many Americans said they fear Obama’s reelection as said they fear he won’t be reelected. U.S. News reports:

In our New Year’s poll, when asked what news event they fear most about 2012, Americans by a margin of two-to-one said Obama’s reelection. Only 16 percent said they fear the Democrat won’t win a second term, while 33 percent said they fear four more years.

Next to Obama’s reelection, 31 percent of Americans said they feared higher taxes, which may be proof that the president’s focus on the payroll tax cut has hit paydirt.

The poll, however, held out some hope for Obama. Some 38 percent of younger Americans, 18-24, said their biggest fear was higher taxes. Just 28 percent of those same voters said they feared Obama winning in November.

To be sure, some of the 31 percent of those who said the 2012 news event they fear most is higher taxes or the 16 percent of those who said Iran might acquire a nuclear weapon could be more afraid of Obama losing reelection than of him winning — but, the point is, a significant percentage of Americans recognize that four more years of Obama is a frightening prospect.

Regarding those young voters who fear higher taxes but want Obama to be reelected: Are they aware that the GOP is the party of no new taxes? President Obama’s payroll tax cut is abundantly misleading, a piece of deficit spending that adds to the debt young voters will have to pay off. Meanwhile, Obamacare alone imposes 18 separate tax increases that will transfer more than $500 billion over 10 years from hardworking American families and businesses to Congress for spending on new entitlements and subsidies. Obama is the king of tax hikes by any other name.