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Fiscal Conservatives Can't Like the Polls
Townhall.com ^ | October 13, 2021 | Tim Graham

Posted on 10/13/2021 3:34:19 AM PDT by Kaslin

Democrats are feeling gloomy as their "infrastructure" bills are stuck in a fight between leftists and "centrists." Many predict that if these huge spending bills could be passed, then the midterm prospects for President Joe Biden and his party would look much brighter.

Will Saletan at Slate tweeted for the optimists: "Soon the infrastructure and reconciliation bills will pass. A year from now, COVID will be largely under control, supply chains will be restored, and the Afghan collapse will be forgotten."

Many Democrats cling tightly to the popularity of massive spending as Biden's approval rating keeps sinking. Fiscal conservatives should consider that if Congress ran the budget process by public polling, they would get rolled on a routine basis. Our national debt would skyrocket.

Every recent poll shows it. In early September, the ABC News/Washington Post pollsters asked, "From what you've heard or read about it, do you support or oppose the federal government spending three and a half trillion dollars on new or expanded social programs, educational assistance, and programs to address climate change?"

The result? Fifty-three percent in favor, and 41% opposed. Respondents don't seem to hesitate on the 3.5 trillion number because they want to be for "new or expanded social programs" and fighting "climate change."

Even a Fox News poll found this result in mid-September. They asked, "Do you favor or oppose the bill being considered by the U.S. House that would allocate an additional three and a half trillion dollars toward infrastructure, including spending to address climate change, health care and childcare?" Most Americans don't want to be seen as crabby people opposing happy-sounding things. It was 56% yes, and 39% no.

While the newest Quinnipiac poll in early October found a new low in Biden's approval rating (38%), they found support for massive spending.

They asked, "Do you support or oppose a roughly $1 trillion spending bill to improve the nation's roads, bridges, broadband, and other infrastructure projects?" Yes, by 62% to 34%.

Then, on top of that: "Do you support or oppose a $3.5 trillion spending bill on social programs such as child care, education, family tax breaks, and expanding Medicare for seniors?" Yes, by 57% to 40%.

Pollsters don't make their respondents choose between spending priorities. It's not either/or; it's just and-and-and.

So, Democrats can crow that their agenda of happy-sounding spending polls well. No one seems to care about how many trillions are added to the deficit in the last decade, just as neither party seemed to care about deficits once Donald Trump was elected. One reason Trump succeeded where Romney/Ryan didn't? He wouldn't touch the happy-sounding entitlement spending such as Social Security and Medicare.

Will the Democrats have more hope of keeping the majority if they pass "ambitious" and "historic" spending? Or would it boomerang on them? We can only be sure that if it doesn't pass, the left is going to explode in anger.

They won by the narrowest of Senate majorities, and yet the radicals are pushing something that a New York Times reporter touted as "the most significant expansion of the nation's safety net since the war on poverty in the 1960s."

Free-spending Democrats always count on the liberal media to make the spending sound great with emotional terms such as "safety net" and "war on poverty." Faced with the media and their pollsters, fiscal conservatives are always going to sound like the nightmarish parents who send their kids to bed without supper.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: fascalresponsib; gimmiegimmie; globalwarminghoax; greennewdeal; inflation; timgraham; townscrawl; washintoncompost

1 posted on 10/13/2021 3:34:19 AM PDT by Kaslin
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To: Kaslin

Because many today need a repeat of 1970s inflation in order to learn the hard way.


2 posted on 10/13/2021 3:37:08 AM PDT by OttawaFreeper ("The Gardens was founded by men-sportsmen-who fought for their country" Conn Smythe, 1966 )
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To: Kaslin

notice how everyone stays quiet until there’s a fire on their front porch


3 posted on 10/13/2021 3:43:49 AM PDT by ronnie raygun (Tell them what they want to hear with sincerity and do what is necessary )
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To: Kaslin

“Fiscal conservatives” in Washington spent the last 20+ years destroying their credibility.


4 posted on 10/13/2021 3:51:36 AM PDT by Alberta's Child ("All lies and jest, ‘til a man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest.")
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To: Kaslin
It's not a political winning thing. Everyone I know in my past 60 plus years has found this absolute truth the hard way.

When things aren't going well, and chaos has entered the fray, spending money to fix your life's problems only hastens ruin.

Scaling back. Drive efficiencies. Reduce overheads and discretionary spending. Put off large purchases for better more organized times. Pay down your current obligations.

But our friends who chose different suffered the consequences for most likely the rest of their lives.

5 posted on 10/13/2021 3:57:03 AM PDT by blackdog (Let's go Brandon!)
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To: Kaslin

3.5 trillion is a number that no one can really comprehend.

The dopes who answer that they favor it cannot name 5 things in the bill.

It doesn’t matter what they answer. This poll is an attempt to put pressure on the snake Manchin to up his $1.5 trillion limit, another number no human can comprehend.


6 posted on 10/13/2021 4:15:49 AM PDT by Susquehanna Patriot
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To: Kaslin
Fiscal Conservatives Can't Like the Polls

What fiscal conservatives?

7 posted on 10/13/2021 4:18:22 AM PDT by DoodleDawg
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To: Kaslin

As long as there is a war on fossil fuels, we will be in an economic downturn. Fossil fuels drives our economy. Unfortunately, the crap they are teaching in schools and universities will not be helpful. Instead of higher learning, they will be focused on self esteem.


8 posted on 10/13/2021 4:28:01 AM PDT by DownInFlames (G)
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To: OttawaFreeper
Because many today need a repeat of 1970s inflation in order to learn the hard way.

Joe xiden is taking the USA full Venezuela. Winter is going to kill off a lot of the stupid. The smarter folks will take a lesson from that.

9 posted on 10/13/2021 4:31:57 AM PDT by Sirius Lee (They intend to murder us. Prep if you want to live and live like you are prepping for eternal life)
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To: Alberta's Child
< cause type=root >
Free Traitors™ spent decades destroying the USAs manufacturing base.
< /cause >
10 posted on 10/13/2021 4:35:41 AM PDT by central_va (I won't be reconstructed and I do not give a damn...)
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To: Kaslin; riri; central_va
Fiscal Conservatives Can't Like the Polls

Nobody wants social liberalism. Nobody wants fiscal conservatism.

Funny, isn't it, that with the "two major parties" you can't ever get what you want, which is social conservatism enforced by a muscular state which provides a counterforce to finance capitalism by regulating the economy to favor jobs and production?

What you get instead is a shadow play of mortal combat between two "opponents" who actually succeed by their "battles" in delivering social liberalism and a money system based on usury.

Why do you suppose that is?

11 posted on 10/13/2021 4:36:00 AM PDT by Jim Noble (The nation cannot be saved until the GOP is destroyed)
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To: DoodleDawg

Fiscal conservative = A person that loves income taxes and hates import tariffs.


12 posted on 10/13/2021 4:36:55 AM PDT by central_va (I won't be reconstructed and I do not give a damn...)
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To: Jim Noble

“Conservatives” and “Communists” have symbiotic relationship.


13 posted on 10/13/2021 4:38:44 AM PDT by central_va (I won't be reconstructed and I do not give a damn...)
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To: Susquehanna Patriot

“3.5 trillion is a number that no one can really comprehend.”

BINGO!!!

If you told the average voter...
The US govt takes in $3.5 trillion dollars in taxes/fees
The gov’t must pay $1 trillion dollars/year interest on borrowed money
Another $1.5 trillion on mandatory spending, SS, Medicare/caid, etc
Another $1.7 trillion on FedGov
That leaves us a deficit of $0.2 trillion
Can we afford to borrow another $3.5 trillion?
The number of people saying yes would drop through the floor.

It would be better yet if someone broke those figures down into something even the low info voter could comprehend, a classic family budget. Disseminate widely and watch heads explode.


14 posted on 10/13/2021 4:45:55 AM PDT by oldvirginian (I’m getting tired of being part of a major historical event.)
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To: Kaslin
The best election example for Conservatives to keep in mind is Gavin Newsom.

2018 - Newsom wins Governor race with 61.9%.

2021 - Newsom wins Recall Election with 61.9% and increases his popular vote by 200,000.

Bottom Line...

The Political Left will NEVER vote for a Conservative, no matter how bad the economy and crime might be.

15 posted on 10/13/2021 4:49:38 AM PDT by zeestephen
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To: central_va

What you describe is a symptom of the problem, not a cause.


16 posted on 10/13/2021 4:52:12 AM PDT by Alberta's Child ("All lies and jest, ‘til a man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest.")
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To: central_va

Conservatives will eventually agree to just about anything, if it prolongs their comfort.


17 posted on 10/13/2021 9:08:52 AM PDT by riri (Hope is not a strategy at this point- Sam Andrews)
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To: AdmSmith; AnonymousConservative; Arthur Wildfire! March; Berosus; Bockscar; cardinal4; ColdOne; ...
Many predict that if these huge spending bills could be passed, then the midterm prospects for President Joe Biden and his party would look much brighter. Will Saletan at Slate tweeted for the optimists: "Soon the infrastructure and reconciliation bills will pass. A year from now, COVID will be largely under control, supply chains will be restored, and the Afghan collapse will be forgotten." ...In early September, the ABC News/Washington Post pollsters asked, "From what you've heard or read about it, do you support or oppose the federal government spending three and a half trillion dollars on new or expanded social programs, educational assistance, and programs to address climate change?"

18 posted on 10/13/2021 9:36:57 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
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