WASHINGTON — A majority of Americans want the Bush tax cuts extended for everyone, despite a strong push by President Barack Obama to eliminate them on higher incomes, according to a new McClatchy-Marist poll.
The poll found 52 percent of registered voters saying they want all the tax cuts extended, including the tax cuts for incomes above $250,000, while 43 percent want the cuts extended just for incomes below that threshold.
All of the tax cuts first enacted under President George W. Bush are scheduled to expire on Dec. 31. Republicans want to extend them all. Obama wants to continue only those on income below $250,000 annually, and he vows to veto any move by Congress that would continue the higher-end tax cuts.
“The money we’re spending on these tax cuts for the wealthy is a major driver of our deficit,” he said last week as he worked to make it a major issue in his re-election campaign.
Yet some of the strongest support for extending all of the tax cuts came from some of Obama’s most reliable supporters, such as young voters, minorities and the poor and working class.
Young voters ages 18-29 favored tax cuts for everyone by a margin of 69-29, the largest margin of any age group.
Latinos favored tax cuts for all incomes by 62 percent to 36 percent. Whites supported tax cuts for every income by 50 percent to 44 percent. African-Americans split, 48 percent for limiting the tax cuts to incomes below $250,000 and 47 percent for extending them to all incomes.
And those making less than $50,000 supported tax cuts for all incomes by 53 percent to 41 percent.
“For all three groups, there’s a fairly large gap in their support for Obama and how they’re reacting to the tax proposal,” said Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist Institute for Public Opinion at Marist College, which conducted the poll. “It may call attention to how connected they are to the proposal itself.”
Recent surveys show the presidential race tight, and this latest poll is no different. Obama edged presumed Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney by 2 percentage points, 48 percent to 46 percent. He led among African-Americans 78 percent to 15 percent, among young people 74 percent to 20 percent, among Latinos 67 percent to 28 percent, and among women 55 percent to 40 percent.
Romney, meanwhile, bests the president among voters ages 60 and older by 57 percent to 36 percent, among whites by 55 percent to 39 percent, and among men by 52 percent to 40 percent.
But the Obama and Romney advantages among certain slices of the electorate belie the fact that on issues, like who would best handle the economy or foreign policy, the divide between them is much closer, with the president only slightly ahead, according to the poll.
They also share similar splits on likability: 49 percent of the voters have a favorable view of president, while 46 percent don’t; 46 percent like Romney, but 42 percent don’t.
Independent voters are likely to be pivotal in November, and the poll gives Romney a boost. Overall, they favor him, though not by much.
Miringoff said that most telling was that neither candidate so far draws support of 50 percent or more on any of the “fundamental” questions that determine elections.
“The race was close yesterday, it’s close today and it probably will be close tomorrow,” he said, “and it may even be close on Election Day.”
Goes to show that 52% of Americans are convinced that one day they will be in the top 1%. Not surprising that so many very young people harbor this unrealistic hope… but that’s what being young is all about, isn’t it?
It’s probably about the same precentage who think that they have a “System” that will enable them to hit it big at a casino, only other people get cancer from smoking or that while they sleep elves fix pothole in the streets. Oh to be young again!
If ANY of our politicians really wanted everyone to “pay their fair share” they would institute a flat tax system. What could be more fair than that? Do away with loopholes & most deductions. 10% across the board – whether you earn $40,000./ year or $40,000,000/yr.
That would be great if Incomes where FLAT .
They aren’t!
That is correct they are not flat. Some people make more then others. They work hard to do so. Then at the other end those lazy folks who do nothing and live off those of us who pay taxes or the ones that juts get by instead of striving for more. So punish those who do well and reward those who do nothing. I hope you do not have children to teach that to! Those who like to tax the “rich” do so to feel good about what they can not be bothered to achieve.
{Then at the other end those lazy folks who do nothing and live off those of us who pay taxes or the ones that juts get by instead of striving for more}
Like Mitt Romney!
Lally gagi’n around making millions from just existing and breathing air!
Sort of like Europe where everybody pays 50+% income tax and 20+% sales tax and its still not enough. The people still riot in the streets because of the extreme entitlement mentality that has been created. For liberals there will never be enough, the end game is communism. The top 10% of earners in the U.S. pay 90% of the bill and thats not enough for libs, even though the bottom 50% pay zip. It’s not true that conservatives believe that they will be that rich someday, conservatives know whats fair and don’t believe we should steal more then we already do to give to the poor, aka the redistribution of wealth.
You need to understand that what Obama Proposed is discontinuing the Tax Reduction “only” for the Income “OVER” $250,000!
The 10 % still retain the Tax Break on the Income Below $250,000, the same as everybody else!
Redistribution of wealth occurs daily when these supposed job creators set wages as low as possible by the shear power of economic advantage over those powerless to set a higher standard for themselves !
We didn’t need government stepping in before the Industrial and Informational technology Revolution. This increased efficienency created a significant decrease in a demand for workers, thus lowering the wages of workers and increasing profit margins on businesses. One man with a backhoe today is 100 workmen with shovels in 1776. One Man with a computer is 100 accountants with pen and paper.
The ONLY solution is for Government to step in and find ways to equalize or balance this out or we live in a world of haves and have nots.
All we like sheep … . Guess that makes Romney and the Tea Party the not-so-good shepherds.
As long as the trajectory of taxes on the wealthy continue downward America will only see decline. We are an emerging banana republic and by the time this is grasped by the masses we will be impoverished and without a voice. Complete collapse or civil inrest await. Democracy is nearly dead and what is coming will not be pleasant. Denial amd blame shifting offer no solace for our childrens future.
Yes more tax on those who make money and more money for those who leach off the country. Sounds feasible to me.
Does the Governor of Maine preserve his constitutional pledge,
or does he not ?
CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF MAINE
Article I. Declaration of Rights.
Section 2. Power inherent in people. All power is
inherent in the people; all free governments are founded in
their authority and instituted for their benefit; they have
therefore an unalienable and indefeasible right to institute
government, and to alter, reform, or totally change the same,
when their “safety” and “happiness” require it.
CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a
more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility,
provide for the common defense, promote the general
Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and
our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the
United States of America.
AMENDMENT XIV
SECTION. 1. All persons born or naturalized in the United
States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the
United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State
shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges
or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall
any State deprive any person of life, “liberty“, or property, without
due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction
the equal protection of the laws.
Liberty, defined : basic right: a political, social, and economic
right that belongs to the citizens of a state or to all people.
Give the people their federal rights to health care.
Obviously democrats don’t mind new taxes at all. They just got supreme court approval on the largest tax increase in U.S. history. Democrats…I never met a tax I didn’t like…
let all the tax cuts expire… The tax credits allow people to get refunds larger than the amount that they paid in the first place. The wealthy won’t be affected by them at all. It’s time to use some basic math to balance our budget and not social engineering to control our tax policies…