The Morning Plum: Does the public support Obama's tax cut deal?

By Greg Sargent

Does the public support Obama's tax cut deal? White House officials have been predicting that the public would support the deal once they realized what Obama is getting in return for temporarily extending the high end cuts, and the new Gallup Poll suggests they might have a point.

It finds broad public support for two major elements of the compromise, with 66 percent favoring both the temporary extensions of the tax cuts and unemployment benefits. One other key point: This compromise was reportedly all about winning back independents, and they strongly support both provisions.

* But the public supports ending tax cuts for rich to fix deficit: The new Bloomberg poll surveys attitudes towards the Bush tax cuts in the context of the deficit, and it finds that a solid majority, 59 percent, favor reducing the deficit by putting an end to the high end cuts.

So let's hope Obama -- who has vowed to rejoin the argument over taxes and the deficit in a big way in 2012 -- makes good on his threat.

* Opposition to tax deal mounts among conservatives: Jim DeMint comes out against the deal on Hugh Hewitt's radio show, which is potentially a big deal: DeMint is a de-facto spokesman for the Tea Party wing of the GOP and the deal is going to need a lot of GOP support if it's going to survive in the Senate.

* And the Senate math remains daunting: According to vote counters, at least 30 Dems in the Senate firmly oppose the deal right now, meaning passage is anything but assured. Bright spot for the White House: The deal can still be tweaked to win over current opponents.

* House Dems draw a hard line: Nancy Pelosi and her caucus appear unwilling to accept the GOP-favored estate tax proposal in the tax cut deal, another sign that Pelosi will continue to aggressively challenge the President in defense of core liberal priorities.

* More scorching criticism of Obama from Dems: Obama's sharp rebuke of Dem critics yesterday isn't doing much to quiet the likes of Anthony Weiner:


"There's this general sense that we need the President to be the leader of our country, to be the leader of our party, and to be the leader of the values we believe in, and he seems to go from zero to compromise in 3.5 seconds. I'm not saying that you never compromise or that you never do deals. This is Washington, that's how laws get passed. But he and his team just don't seem to be that good at it."


Key takeaway: No matter how many times the President rebukes his liberal tormentors, this line of criticism isn't going away.

* But the White House keeps pushing back on liberals: David Axelrod makes the case that the liberal demand for more of a fight on the tax cuts would have produced a "political Kabuki dance that would have ended up with a compromise not nearly as good as this."

* Repeal of don't ask don't tell not going to happen this year? Paul Kane reports that the crowded Senate schedule has left repeal of DADT increasingly in doubt.

Punting on this would be a truly awful move by Dems. Repeal of DADT is probably the best way, if not the only way, to mute the criticism of the President from the left and give the base a sense that the lame duck session was not a total disaster.

* No mandate for the GOP to set the country's agenda: So finds a new National Journal poll:

Asked who should take the lead on the major issues facing the country, those surveyed divided almost evenly, with 45 percent saying President Obama and 44 percent preferring congressional Republicans.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/plum-line/2010/12/the_morning_plum_146.html

The point is that Americans have been at war for over ten years and refuse to pay for it. The borrowing has to stop. Unfunded wars have to stop. People that can live without their tax cuts must. Many wealthy people came out and said that they did not want the tax cut. Many middle class folks can afford to pass on the tax cut. I know that I could spend the tax cut but I do not want the government to borrow two thousand dollars so that I get a bigger refund. This is insanity! If they want to cut taxes, cut them on families who live on less than 40K, individuals who live on less than 35K. These folks are struggling out here with no end in sight. Extend Unemployment and for goodness sake count all of the unemployed out here. Our selfish ways need to end. Bargaining with the rethuglicans like they are sane, caring people is not helpful. These folks are not out for anything but lining their own pockets and the corps that they represent.