71% Oppose GOP Refusal To Raise Taxes
Americans are unimpressed with their political leaders' handling of the debt ceiling crisis, with a new CBS News poll showing a majority disapprove of all the involved parties' conduct, but Republicans in Congress fare the worst, with just 21 percent backing their resistance to raising taxes.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20080250-503544.html?tag=re1.channelA plurality opposes Obama's handling of this situation -- 48-43
A strong majority opposes the Dems' handling -- 58-31
But an overwhelming consensus opposes the GOP's insane resistance to raising taxes on the rich -- 71-21
This is mind boggling. Obama and the Dems have the Republicans by the throat and can bury them for a generation -- all they have to do is give the public what it obviously wants: a return to progressive taxation. Of course few poll respondents are up on the details, but the simple reality of the last 30 years is that taxes on rich people and corporations have been reduced to an utterly unsustainable level. Even a majority of Republican poll respondents (51%) oppose their elected representatives on this budget issue.
Why is there even a discussion about this? All Obama has to do is say this:
President Bush and the GOP Congress in 2003 cut taxes on rich people and corporations by an unrealistic amount, and the results have been catastrophic. We are now looking at massive budget deficits. The Republicans in Congress now refuse to face the consequences of their own irresponsibility and are threatening to destroy America's credit rather than ask the rich to give back the extravagent gift that George W. Bush gave them.
This is a democracy. It is not right for a Party that controls only one half of one branch of Government to dictate policy. And it is worse than not right -- it is the height of irresponsibility -- for them to try to dictate this particular policy of favoring the rich over everybody else by playing a game of chicken with our nation's credit rating.
So we make this challenge to the GOP -- let the voters decide. Let the people elect a Republican President and Senate and let the people re-elect the GOP House of Representatives, and you can do what you want with the budget. Cut spending as deeply as you like -- if you can persuade the public to support your ideology.
Until then, I will veto any budget that leaves the Bush gift to rich people intact. Isn't it obvious to everyone that the reason why at least 48% oppose every dog in this fight is that the entire conversation has been about appeasing the Republicans who are pushing a totally absurd proposition?
Isn't it equally obvious that the poll results mean less than nothing to our political "leadersship"?
Isn't it painfully obvious that there is another order at work that operates in spite of democracy?
I have seen a lot of weird shit in my 58 years, but this is the single most bizarre politcal scenario I have ever seen. The operating logic of our government is simply -- Screw the People.
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