Bush Tax Cuts Still Very Unpopular

[babylonsister]

http://www.tnr.com/blog/jonathan-chait/76633/bush-tax-cuts-still-very-unpopular


Bush Tax Cuts Still Very Unpopular
Jonathan Chait


Wall Street Journal reporter John D. McKinnon thinks that opponents of tax cuts are gaining momentum:

What do voters actually think about the Bush tax cuts?

Recent survey results are mixed, and voters appear to be as divided as the politicians – maybe more. But one trend seems to be that more voters are coming around to the view that taxes shouldn’t be raised on anyone.

A Pew Research poll this month found a narrow divide – 30% said all of the tax cuts should be extended, while 27% said the tax cuts for the wealthy should be repealed, and the rest maintained. That represents a deterioration for congressional Democrats’ position, and an improvement for Republicans: in October 2008, 37% of voters favored repeal of tax cuts for the wealthy, compared with 27% now, while 25% supported keeping all of Bush’s tax cuts, compared with 30% now.

But the poll also clearly reflects that concern is growing about the wisdom of maintaining any of the tax cuts – probably as a result of rising worries about deficits. In the Pew poll 31% said all of the Bush-era tax cuts should be allowed to lapse. In October 2008, 25% favored eliminating all of the tax cuts.

This is a pretty opaque way to describe the data. Here's the straightforward results of the Pew question:

Which comes closer to your view about the tax cuts passed when George W. Bush was president?
30% All of the tax cuts should remain in place
27% Tax cuts for the wealthy should be repealed, while others stay in place
31% All of the tax cuts should be repealed

This is pretty clear. By a 2-to-1 margin, voters want to repeal the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy. Now, those who do are split between those who want to repeal the middle-class tax cuts as well -- that is, people who are to the left of the Democrats' position -- and those who want to keep the tax cuts that benefit the non-rich in place. But those who want to keep the tax cuts for the rich are a very small minority. Yes, it's up from 25%, but it's still a distinctly unpopular position.

This is a proxy for a lot of tax debates that occur. The Democrats take the centrist position, the Republicans take an unpopular right-wing position, and the equivalently unpopular position on the left is unrepresented entirely.

[muntrv]

1. Dems. need to frame this as "why do the top 2% need a tax cut more

than the middle class?"

[Hawkeye-X]

2. They should be raising the tax on the rich by about the 1960s number

and ADJUST Social Security benefits to correct for suppressed COLA increases (it needs to be about $500 more than it is now. Gives them a chance of NOT deciding between pills or cat food).

And UNCAP the limit.

[babylonsister]

4. I'd be happy with not giving them a tax break for starters.

Then we can work on it.

I agree with you on what 'should' happen, but it won't.

[KansDem]

3. It's become strikingly obvious

This Congress and the GOP are for the wealthy! Period!

Even when the American citizenry wants no more tax cuts, the GOP and Congress are for doing the exact opposite!

And the talking points they use do not pass for political discourse...

[w4rma]

5. Heck don't just let the tax cuts for the wealthy go away. Hike their taxes up and pass laws to keep

their money in the country. Deficit hawks can choose to throw their wealthy friends' money into the deficit pit, instead of 98% of Americans' wages.

[andym]

6. 58% say we can't increase taxes on the middle class

Sounds about right-- the Reagan era "no new taxes" appears to still be with us. But how can we expect expansion of government programs like single-payer if the majority of Americans are against raising taxes on themselves. Raising taxes are necessary to pay for new programs (even if they might save money overall). Americans need a new mindset concerning taxes.

[tapper]

9. For single-payer, framing it

Given that all workers already pay taxes for Medicare, you would think it wouldn't be that hard to frame and persuade people for single payer issue, at least -- "Medicare for All", paid for by an increase in the current Medicare tax -- heck, I'd be willing to a few extra percentages on my income (when I'm employed), to have health care, without worrying about how to pay insurance when I'm unemployed! (on my last three--now unsubsidized--months of COBRA, and shuddering at the thought of what private insurance will cost at age 55 ...)

Do agree, in general, that center and left groups need to find a way to change the basic 'taxes = bad' mindset.

[slackmaster]

12. I think I pay more than enough in taxes. If you think you are undertaxed, there is a solution.

Write a check to the Bureau of the Public Debt, and send it in.

Bureau of the Public Debt
P.O. Box 7015
Parkersburg, WV 26106-7015

[andym]

13. Problem is that almost everyone feels the way you do

Would you still be against paying higher taxes, if in return for higher taxes you didn't have to pay directly for health care? In other words, if a higher taxes meant single payer health care (and no payment to an insurance company...)

[slackmaster]

14. I'd have to see the details before I could answer that question

What would be covered? What would the deductibles be? What choices would I have for providers? Would the system result in greater wait times for seeing specialists, getting surgery, etc.?

And of course, I would want to know how much more taxes would I have to pay so that I could compare it to what I have now and what it's costing me.

[Enthusiast]

7. K&R. I see the unrecommenders are out.

It's pretty clear that citizens want the wealthy to start paying their share. I'm in that group of citizens. They aren't stimulating the economy now with their Bush wars largess. Raise their fucking taxes!

[Broke In Jersey]

8. one of the few polls that I believe is right on the mark...

but I doubt that congress will do anything till after the election....

[slackmaster]

10. A majority say that the tax cuts for the poor and middle class should stay in place

No big surprise there.

[Phx_Dem]

11. Repealed is not a valid choice. They are expiring because that's how

the tax bill was written. No one is talking about "repealing" anything, they are simply talking about not intervening and allowing the law expire as it was set to do.