Posted on 07/22/2011 9:04:05 AM PDT by MissesBush
While Washington wrangles over how to avoid defaulting on the government’s massive debt load, voters are worried the final deal will raise taxes too much but won't cut spending enough.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 62% of Likely U.S. Voters are worried more that Congress and President Obama will raise taxes too much rather than too little in any deal to end the debt ceiling debate. Just 26% fear they’ll raise taxes too little. Twelve percent (12%) aren’t sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
Similarly, 56% worry that Congress and the president will cut spending too little in the final debt ceiling deal, while only 25% are concerned that they will cut spending too much. Nineteen percent (19%) are undecided.
There’s a wide difference of opinion, however, between the Political Class and Mainstream voters. Fifty-nine percent (59%) of the Political Class is worried the deal will cut spending too much, while 63% of Mainstream voters fear it won’t cut spending enough. Those in the Mainstream worry more than Political Class voters by a near two-to-one margin – 70% to 37% - that the debt deal also will raise taxes too much.
Whatever spending cuts are in the final deal, 49% of all voters don’t think the government will actually cut the spending agreed upon. Seventy-five percent (75%) believe that even if the deal includes tax cuts only on the wealthy, ultimately taxes will be raised on the middle class, too.
“Based on the history of the past few decades, voters have learned that politicians promising unspecified spending cuts should be treated with all the credibility of a six-year old boy caught with his hand in the cookie jar promising to be good for the rest of his life,” Scott Rasmussen notes in a column for the Politico this week.
Most voters (55%), in fact, oppose including any tax hikes in the debt deal.
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The national telephone survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on July 20-21, 2011 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC.See methodology.
The partisan differences in the new findings help explain what’s driving the debt ceiling debate in the Nation’s Capital with Republicans pushing for spending cuts alone and Democrats insisting that tax increases be part of the package.
Seventy-nine percent (79%) of Republicans - and 58% of voters not affiliated with either major party - worry that the final debt deal will cut spending too little. A plurality of Democrats (41%), however, voice the opposite fear and worry that spending will be cut too much.
Eighty-five percent (85%) of GOP voters and 60% of unaffiliateds fear the deal will raise taxes too much. Democrats are evenly divided on this question.
Interest in the ongoing negotiations remains high, with 84% of all voters saying they are following news reports about raising the debt ceiling at least somewhat closely. Fifty-three percent (53%) are following Very Closely.
Voters feel more strongly than ever that decreasing government spending is good for the economy and that tax increases of any kind are bad economic medicine.
While voters agree that failing to raise the federal government’s debt ceiling is bad for the economy, 52% believe it would be more dangerous to raise the debt ceiling without making significant cuts in government spending. Thirty-seven percent (37%) take the opposite view and believe a government default would be more dangerous.
Additional information from this survey and a full demographic breakdown are available to Platinum Members only.
Based on the history of the past few decades, voters have learned that politicians promising unspecified spending cuts should be treated with all the credibility of a six-year old boy caught with his hand in the cookie jar promising to be good for the rest of his life,” Scott Rasmussen notes in a column for the Politico this week.
Truer words have never been spoken (or in this case, written)!
Americans have much to fear.
The cuts in Reagan’s deal NEVER happened
The Cuts in Bush’s deal NEVER happened
Bush Jr NEVER made cuts
The CR Deal boasted huge cuts, but turned out to be VERY Small.
Why would the public have fear? PAST HISTORY, THAT’S WHY.
In 1986, 1991 and 1993 the people were promised if we “gave DC tax revenue now, DC will cut spending later and eliminate the deficit.” In all 3 cases DC got the tax hikes and promptly spent it plus every single dime they could borrow as well.
This is just the 4th time the Progressive DC political machine has trotted out this lie.
Some conservative media pundits are caving. Bill O’Reilly favors a deal, as does Mike Gallagher, who I thought was a solid conservative.
And how much you wanna bet, the ones that said yes are the people that pay no taxes now and won't pay any under a tax hike.
Too bad voters don’t cast ballots as they say in this poll. People really believe government can solve all problems. Sadly, our 2010 House victory has been usurped by the media, Obama, and Mitch McC.
LINK.
"If you still think the government are the best people to manage your money after [seeing] this, please come and see me about some magic beans I have to offer you."
I’m sorry but if Reid is going to hold out on signing any legislation unless it has massive “Additional Revenue”, then this CRISIS must not be that big of a crisis and Reid and Obama can KMA!!!!
With a straight face, President Obama told us that 80% of Americans WANT tax increases.
Why didn’t anybody ask him to prove that? Anybody...the media, senators, representatives, the guys on the street? This President is a liar who gets away with whoppers. Sadly, I suspect many of our citizens believe him.
While encouraging, if you told voters that entitlements would need to be cut to really cut spending, I bet they’d say no. Or if you gave them a choice of cutting entitlements and tax hikes on “the wealthy” they’d choose the tax hikes.
Deep down, Americans still have good instincts. We still haven’t been converted into passive Euro-type serfs who expect the Lords of the government to take care of them. But Americans have been infested with a Welfare State mentality over decades and still haven’t come to grips with the fact that the Welfare State party is over.
Super visual.
Hmmmm. Maybe “most voters” aren’t as stupid as Mr. Obama gives them credit for being.
Most voters (55%), in fact, oppose including any tax hikes in the debt deal.”
It’s not 80% in favor of tax increases? But...but...but
Hey NOT to worry we have the Master Negotiator ,The Democrat,Mr Drunken Bonehead on the Job,Look at what he got us on the CR!
But Bill O’Reilly says the majority of Americans want their taxes raised, dontcha know.
Obozo spends trillions we don’t have in just 2.5 years. No budget was ever put forth.
Now that he’s spent all that, he wants to freeze spending at that level and raise taxes?
What the hell is that?
Honestly, I don’t believe either the poll or the title of the article. It implies that 55% to 60% of American voters have some semblance of a clue. I just don’t buy it.
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