A new Poll shows the message Liberals are sending to President Obama to stand up to Republican demands for extending tax cuts on the top 3% is a popular one, that is shared by the plurality of Americans.
Psst. Dems? Public supports letting high end tax cuts expire
Since we're talking about whether Dems will stand firm and hold a vote on extending just the middle class tax cuts, it's worth taking a look at what the internals of the new NBC/WSJ poll show on this question:
Congress will soon decide whether to keep in place the existing tax cuts enacted during President Bush's time in office, or allow them to expire. Which one of the following options would be your preference for what they should do?
Eliminate all the tax cuts permanently: 10
Eliminate the tax cuts for those earning more than $250,000 per year, but keep them for those earning less than that: 39
Keep in place all the tax cuts for everyone for another year to three years: 23
Keep in place the tax cuts for everyone permanently: 23
The virtue of this poll is that it offers Americans the choice of picking from all the options that are on the table right now, including the Dem proposal to extend just the middle class cuts, the "compromise" temporary extension of all the cuts, and the GOP proposal for a permanent extension of all of them.
As it happens, far and away the largest group, 39 percent, favors the Dem proposal of extending only the middle class cuts and letting the high end ones expire.
Democrats have won this argument, we need to start acting like we hold the high ground. The Obama White House doesn't need to give away the store in negotiations with the G.O.P (Greedy Oligarchs' Pasty). Lets give the Republicans a choose between doing what a plurality of Americans want by passing the Middle Class tax Cuts, or Republicans can fight to the bitter end for the top 3% and let the tax cuts for everyone expire which is unpopular with 90% of Americans. Less than a quarter of Americans want a compromise.
Democrats couldn't be on more solid ground to take a principled stand.
More from the Poll: pdf
Q24a And, in your view are the policies of President Obama generally too pro-business, too anti-business, or
about right?*
.
Too pro-business.....................................12
.
Too anti-business....................................36
.
About right..............................................47
.
Not sure...................................................5
Q24b And, in your view are the policies of the Republican Party generally too pro-business, too anti-business, or
about right?**
Too pro-business ...................................46
.
Too anti-business ...................................7
.
About right ............................................41
.
Not sure ................................................6
Also a healthy plurality of Americans HATE the recommendations of the Cat Food Commission
Q31 Recently President Obama created a Deficit Commission of Republicans and Democrats to recommend a plan to reduce the federal deficit. The proposal would reduce deficits by about four trillion dollars over the next decade. To get these savings, the commission recommends 75 percent come from spending cuts and 25 percent come from increases in tax revenues. Spending reductions include cuts to Medicare, Social Security, and defense spending. The tax increases include higher gasoline taxes, lowering the corporate tax rate but limiting business tax deductions, and placing a limit on the tax deduction for homeowners with mortgages over five hundred thousand dollars. Now, overall, do you think this proposal is a good idea or a bad idea? If you do not have an opinion either way, please just say so.
Good idea ..............................25
Bad idea.................................40
Do not have an opinion............30
Mixed (VOL)............................3
Not sure..................................2
On these two issues Liberal Democrats and the bulk of Americans speak with one voice.
Good news the leaders of our Party ARE listening.
Dems will vote on just middle class tax cuts, Hoyer says
Steny Hoyer, the number two in the House Dem leadership, told Democrats at a caucus meeting this morning that they would get to vote this year on just extending the Bush tax cuts for the middle class, a senior Dem aide tells me, signaling support for a confrontational move towards the GOP that liberals have been pushing.
Asked if Democrats would definitely get a chance to hold this vote, the senior aide responded: "Definitely."
We're moving forward with the wind at our back, no need to give anything away to the Republicans now!
Check out the interactive MAP at Citizens for Tax Justice to see how the Middle Class Tax Cut would affect people in your state.