http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_11/026682.phpMAYBE CONGRESS SHOULD LISTEN TO THEM.... Congress is poised to take up some pretty weighty issues during the lame-duck session, and at this point, a
new CNN poll shows Americans siding with Democrats on all of them. Only a third of all Americans think Bush-era tax cuts should be extended for families regardless of how much money they make, according to a new national poll.
A CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll released Wednesday also indicates a vast majority of the public is in favor of allowing openly gay people to serve in the U.S. military. Both issues are high on the agenda for federal lawmakers who have returned to the nation's capitol this week for the lame duck session of Congress.
Republicans feel like they have the upper hand on taxes, but only a third of the country supports the GOP approach. Likewise, Republicans appear positioned to kill a key nuclear arms treaty, but 73% support Senate ratification of New START.
But it's the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" results that really stand out. The top-line results are pretty one-sided -- 72% want DADT to end, while 23% want it left in place. The country is pretty divided right now, and 72% of Americans don't agree on much, but Americans have been hearing about this issue for quite a while, and they seem to have made up their minds.
But also look at the internals -- support for DADT repeal is so broad, it spans both genders, every race, every age group, every region, every party, every ideology, and every level of education. Even among Republicans, the Democratic position enjoys overwhelming support (64% to 31%). This is about as close as we get to "consensus."
And yet, despite this, GOP officials on the Hill are still planning to kill repeal this year, and keep the unpopular policy intact for years to come.
Adding insult to injury, those on the left are largely fighting amongst themselves, instead of going after Republican lawmakers who stand in the way of success.
Putting that aside, though, in the post-election environment, Republicans have been going around quite a bit lately, insisting that policymakers need to "listen to the American people." I guess that sentiment doesn't apply when Republicans don't like what they hear.—Steve Benen
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