Mainstream pundits vs. mainstream voters

Mainstream pundits vs. mainstream voters

By Steve Benen

As part of its new offensive on the economy, the Obama White House has been pushing an ambitious, more populist agenda, focused on job creation, public investments, middle-class tax breaks, and asking the very wealthy to shoulder more of the tax burden. In response, plenty of high-profile pundits have offered their assessment: this is a big mistake.

David Brooks, Mark Penn, and Mark Halperin all weighed in yesterday, saying President Obama’s plan, regardless of its prospects in Congress, is the kind of agenda centrist and independent voters just hate. Politico declared this morning, “Obama sparks middle-of-road rage.”

The problem, of course, is that those who claim to know what moderate voters want actually have no idea what the American mainstream is thinking.

Gallup released a new poll late yesterday, and the results weren’t even close. While the Brooks/Penn/Halperin triumvirate said most Americans reject tax increases on the wealthy, the data shows otherwise — increasing income taxes on the wealthiest Americans enjoys broad support (66% favor, 32% oppose), while eliminating corporate tax deductions is even more popular (70% to 26%).

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