Americans support extending unemployment benefits, which is among the most expensive of the compromises made between President Obama and the Republicans. They also support extending the Bush Tax Cuts.
Taken together, the costs of these two programs do more to increase the budget deficit than nearly any other aspect of the agreement. That means that Americans are, once again, willing to put off deficit issues into the future in the name of present needs.
According to a new Gallup poll, Republicans support tax cuts more than Democrats–85% to 52%. Democrats favor extension of unemployment benefits–84% to 43%.
The data show in a microcosm why resolving issues which are clearly critical to lowering the deficit are so difficult. Americans are split by party on the most pressing issues. That will continue indefinitely. This was seen in the lack of bipartisan support for the recommendations of The National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform. The poll and fate of the effort by the commission, which worked for nearly a year, indicate that the an increase to the deficit and rising national debt are not enough to change the habits of large numbers of Americans.
“Results for this Gallup poll are based on telephone interviews conducted Dec. 3-6, 2010, on the Gallup Daily tracking survey, with a random sample of 1,003 adults, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, selected using random-digit-dial sampling.”
Douglas A. McIntyre
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