Most Back Cuts Overall – But Not to the Military (ABC News/Washington Post Poll)

ABC News ^ | 03/06/2013 | Greg Holyk

[SeekAndFind]

For all the dire warnings, most Americans welcome a five percent cut in overall federal spending this year. But the defense budget is another matter.

The public by nearly 2-1, 61-33 percent, supports cutting the overall budget along the lines of the sequester that took effect last Friday. But by nearly an identical margin, Americans in this ABC News/Washington Post poll oppose an eight percent across-the-board cut in military spending.

These views come before the $85 billion in cuts this year have taken hold, leaving open the question of how the public will respond once the reductions hit home.

Nonetheless, the results suggest that warnings about the nation’s military readiness have resonated, while the public is more skeptical about the damage the sequester poses to federal programs more generally.

Support for a five percent reduction in federal spending crosses party lines in this poll, produced for ABC by Langer Research Associates; it includes 57 percent of Democrats, six in 10 independents and three-quarters of Republicans. Shaving eight percent off the military budget, on the other hand, is opposed by 73 percent of Republicans and 63 percent of independents, with Democrats split down the middle. Strength of sentiment also lands squarely in favor of overall budget cuts, and against those to the military. Strong support for overall cuts outpaces strong opposition by 15 percentage points, while it’s the opposite, by 25 points, when it comes to military spending.

Republicans feel more strongly about reducing overall spending, with 55 percent strongly in favor, 19 and 34 points greater than strong sentiment among independents and Democrats, respectively. Republicans and independents more strongly defend the defense budget compared with Democrats, by 25 and 16 points, respectively.

[SeekAndFind]

See PDF with full results, charts and tables here.

[AndyJackson]

I hope Freepers are not fooled by this. The defense budget has doubled since 2000. And, a lot of that money stays “inside the beltway,” paying consultants to prepare powerpoint presentations to justify the loot they are getting. We can all love defense and still believe in some tough love, i.e. that the Pentagon has gotten a spare tire and could do some laps around the track.

[AndyJackson]

I hope Freepers are not fooled by this. The defense budget has doubled since 2000. And, a lot of that money stays “inside the beltway,” paying consultants to prepare powerpoint presentations to justify the loot they are getting. We can all love defense and still believe in some tough love, i.e. that the Pentagon has gotten a spare tire and could do some laps around the track.

[Wolfie]

Ha! Hope into one hand, crap into the other...

[GGpaX4DumpedTea]

Cut Homeland Security, and all funding for a ‘civilian’ army. Cut all military waste, especially in DC and surrounding areas.

Keep your hands off the carriers etc.

Cut welfare, food stamps.

Cut EPA 100%

Cut all First Family F’Ups travel. Cut POTUS travel.

Cut Secret Service 50%

Just for beginners...

[andyk]

You are correct, sir.

[bjc]

I don’t care about cuts in the out years, I want a FREEZE now. Simple, easy to understand and less chance to weasel out of it.

[ansel12]

Military personnel are “bloated”, when you keep hiring women and single moms, and first time recruits with families to support, and keep treating the Air force like they do, and giving married benefits to homosexual roommates and lesbian girlfriends wasting billions on inter-service rivalry, and blue camouflage uniforms and using million dollar pilots to sit at a desk and fly drones, and all the other nonsense, the military is becoming just another level of bloated federal employment.

I feel sorry for the warriors who are caught up in this era of the transition of our military, into what it is becoming.

[SkyPilot]

Thanks for posting this.

[jmaroneps37]

Leftist pollster must find a way to avoid questions like this. Since WE answer pollsters and the no information trough feeders don't these are the only results they can get. Notice how low Obama’s numbers are today; this is because WE answer the pollsters but this means nothing since the no information trough feeders vote in big enough numbers to overwhelm us. This factor is also why Rasmussen's Obama approval numbers are over 50% - he somehow gets the trough feeders to answer. What does all this mean? Nothing. If the trough feeders turn out next year we'll lose again.