ORC for CNN (
PDF). April 13-15. Adult Americans. ±4.5%.
I’d like to know whether the following statement describes or does not describe the way you feel: “The present tax system benefits the rich and is unfair to the ordinary working man or woman.”
Describes: 68
Does not describe: 29
Do you consider the amount of federal income tax you have to pay as too high, about right, or too low?
Too high: 45
About right: 50
Too low: 3
These are good numbers for Democrats, but as Greg Sargent
warns, they don't necessarily mean President Obama can ride the Buffett Rule to victory. In November, the broader issue of jobs and the economy will play a bigger role than tax policy as voters make up their minds.
But even though these numbers might not be a silver bullet for President Obama, they illustrate that Americans don't agree with a key element of Mitt Romney's argument against Obama. Romney claims that Obama has slowed down the economy through overtaxation. That claim is bogus, and these numbers show that Americans aren't buying it. Even if Democrats aren't ultimately able to convince Americans that things like the Buffett Rule are central to long-term economic growth, polls like this show the tax issue is basically dead for Republicans, and that's a big deal.