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The American people don’t subscribe to the conservative position about why our nation has a deficit. Most people blame our deficit not on excessive social spending but instead on low taxes for the rich or the huge military budget, according to this National Journal poll.
As important, the survey found Americans unconvinced that safety-net programs represent a major source of the deficit problem. When asked to identify the biggest reason the federal government faces large deficits for the coming years, just 3 percent of those surveyed said it was because of “too much government spending on programs for the elderly”; only 14 percent said the principal reason was “too much government spending on programs for poor people.” Those explanations were dwarfed by the 24 percent who attributed the deficits primarily to excessive defense spending, and the 46 percent plurality who said their principal cause was that “wealthy Americans don’t pay enough in taxes.” While minorities were more likely than whites to pin the blame on the wealthy avoiding taxes, even 43 percent of whites agreed.
That is basically 70 percent of the country that holds a progressive opinion about what is driving federal deficits, while just a tiny fringe minority of 17 percent primarily blame excessive social welfare spending.
This is important to keep in mind when you see polls ranking how important the deficit is as an issue. Just because some people might be concerned about the deficit doesn’t mean they support the Republican party on the issue. By far the most popular ideas for cutting the deficit, raising taxes on the wealthy and cutting military spending, are completely opposed by the GOP.
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What do all those people know? The three percent (one percent plus fringe of fellow-travelers) are the only ones whose opinions count. Just ask the Greeks.
Jon you state, correctly, that, “… the most popular ideas for cutting the deficit, raising taxes on the wealthy and cutting military spending, are completely opposed by the GOP.”
You imply, therefore, that the Democrats are “not” totally opposed to the implementation of those “most popular ideas”. Have you evidence to support this implication? Is it possible for you to actually identify, by name, one or two, or even three Democrats who have consistently supported, when push comes to the inevitable shove, those two most popular ideas, beyond glib rhetoric, say, by actually putting themselves and their personal political careers on the line? By risking the wrath of the PTB?
Now, I read your previous post, “I Wish the President’s Budget Actually Mattered”, which seemed to imply that the entire political “system” is failing because “…basic accountability is not how our system works.”
“Our” system, as you term it, is NOT “ours”, nor was it ever intended to be, from the very beginning … perhaps, at some time, it would be wise to recognize this ever more evident reality?
Perhaps, to really stretch things, it might be time to consider the serious and compelling need of developing alternatives?
Those who “support” the current “system” often suggest that those who would change the current system are responsible for whatever bad things might occur … Would it not be equally honest, and reasonable, to suggest that those who support the current system bear much responsibility for how “things” are, currently, and what those “things”, most likely, will become … if the current “system” continues along as it “is”?
I know, it all depends on what “is”, means …
DW
Polls don’t make policy, they don’t influence politicians (are there any polls from politicians saying what polls mean to them?), they only influence the rhetoric of speechmakers and pundits, and the buying preferences of consumers. Duh, I know.
I say again we would be living much better if elections and laws represented results of polls about policy.
300 million Americans to Alan Simpson: suck on this.
Most Americans are kind and don’t want to hurt the poor and elderly.
I read in one of the papers again today that Mitt says we should cut “entitlements” We have got to do a better job of firing back that SS and Pensions are NOT entitlements. We worked all of our lives for this money to take us through our “golden years” with payroll deductions along the way.
If I ever have a chance to see this creep Romney or anyone claiming entitlements, I am going to confront their doublespeak.
Of course Romney would not know what it is like to work for a living all your life anyway. He should talk about his own entitlement.
They’re also completely opposed by Obama and the Democratic Party. (Forget what they say, look at what they vote for, or don’t vote for.)
So you’re using a poll to illustrate dangerous assumptions resulting from polls? Hmmmm.
How about taking a poll asking the public how much a higher income tax for the wealthy will reduce the deficit? How many do you think know the millionaire’s tax covers only three months of the payroll cut and no more?
Are we getting tired of FEDERAL ENTITLEMENTS like the ones spelled out in our Constitution and Bill of Rights. Entitlements are always a good thing. Not being entitled is a bad thing. Rich people feel entitled to great service at the Biltmore; the MSM has a crusade against the term and now I hear people say “entitlement” like you might hear free loader or socialism. They have no shame and feel no guilt as they lie and cheat their way to the bottom.
NO we are quoting a poll to show how the main stream media does not reflect the views of the majority of its citizens.
Propaganda failure. What’s the matter with those dolts in D.C., that they can’t even win the propaganda wars anymore, even with corp media in train.
In the last year there seems to have been a sea change and the propaganda machine is becoming ineffective.
Geez, wonder how that could ever have occurred. Overreach?
Some cliche about some of the people, all of the time… comes to mind.
Well said BSbafflesbrains. Apple Canyon 2: You refer to the bastardized version of the term entitlement. But you may have the right idea.
Actually, the word “entitlement” seems to have gone adrift. My old paper dictionary defines the verb entitle as … 3. to give a right or legal title to; qualify (a person to do sometning) – entitlement n.
We may presume, that one acquires title to something by a contractual process; as in: “I’ll pay in this money out of my paychecks until I’m 65, then you’ll owen me that to which I have thereby become entitled.”
Somehow the punditocracy has converted it to imply a government give-away.
Thank you. Let’s not call it a punditocracy but rather a dumocracy as defined in Wikipedia.
This ranks as the most important poll finding of the year. 17% believe the Main Stream Media/GOP line on the budget? Despite the 24/7 rants in paper and print about how we must cut SS, Medicare and wasteful government spending Mitt, Newt, Ron Rick Joe Kline, Niall Ferguson, Pete Peterson etc.
This means that the Media much like the military cannot create a propaganda victory by repeating their talking points/lies 24/7.
Our society is so stressed the majority do not believe the propaganda, our militaries reports of success for 10 years in Afghanistan, or Congress given their record low approval ratings.
Society is ripe for collapse.
Entitlements are always a good thing. Rich people feel entitled to great service at the Biltmore
Your words, not mine.
*G*
*G*
Filing this one under “the corporate fascists fully own and operate every facet of our lives from birth to death, and after that, too.”
Yep, entire system and process of governance is bought and paid for, benefits the few, and continues to erode any rights and standard of living the masses ever had.
You can’t fix that shit by pointing fingers at the GOP, OR the Dims.
I’m not sure it CAN be fixed other than in 3 ways.
1) It WILL collapse of its own volition, all empires do.
2) Mama Nature takes it all down, and the planet as a whole.
3) The masses revolt . . . which will be ugly, deadly beyond the Civil War, and the USOfA will fracture and splinter (which it’s gonna do anyway see #1/USSR).
But yeah, we fully agree with one another on your points.
The pointing fingers of the blame game, altho informative I guess, simply document the reality at hand . . . a reality we can all guess at this point, sucks and will suck more and more.
At some point, DOING something besides reporting the sucking imposed upon the masses has to be more important . . . ;-)
I’d say, that point was long passed . . . (decades).
;-)