Posted Oct 01, 2013 at 9:20 AM by Maurice Berger
Gallup observes in a new survey: "As Congress heads into a major fiscal showdown that could result in a
government shutdown and the U.S. defaulting on its debt, few Americans
approve of the job that top congressional leaders are doing. Americans
give relatively low job approval ratings to Republican House Speaker
John Boehner (37%), Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (33%),
Democratic House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (39%), and Republican
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (35%)." Here is Gallup's chart:

Tagged: economic crisis, economy, taxes, US Congress, John Boehner, women voters
Posted Jun 05, 2013 at 12:15 PM by Maurice Berger
A new survey by Quinnipiac poll reports that of the three controversies associated with the President --
Benghazi, IRS targeting, and the seizing of reporter phone records -- 44% of
voters see the IRS probe as the most significant. 24% cite Benghazi
and 15% the records seizure.
Tagged: President Barack Obama, taxes
Posted Apr 16, 2013 at 9:07 AM by Maurice Berger
According to a survey by Gallup, 55% of Americans regard the income taxes they have to
pay as fair, the lowest percentage since 2001. Here is Gallup's chart:

Tagged: taxes
Posted Apr 12, 2013 at 8:31 AM by Maurice Berger
A new poll by the Washington Post-ABC News reports that 53% of Democrats see the income tax system favorably; 43% view it unfavorably. For Republicans and independents, the answer is reversed (and then some):66% of the former and 62% of the latter have an unfavorable opinion of the tax system.
Tagged: Democratic Party, Republican Party, tax cuts, taxes
Posted Dec 17, 2012 at 9:16 AM by Maurice Berger
A poll by NBC News/Wall Street Journal reports that almost two-thirds of Americans say they favor a balanced deal to
reduce the deficit -- consisting of both higher tax rates and cuts to
key entitlement programs. In a key finding in the survey, 65% believe that congressional leaders should make compromises to
deal with the budget deficit. The support for compromise is broad and wide: 68% of Democrats, 66% of Republicans and 56% of political independents support this position.
Tagged: economy, economic crisis, President Barack Obama, US Congress, taxes, tax cuts, Medicare
Posted Dec 11, 2012 at 10:04 AM by Maurice Berger
According to a new survey by Quinnipiac, voters trust Obama and Democrats more than Republicans, by a 53% to 36% margin, to avoid the "fiscal cliff." Pollster Peter Brown writes: "Voters see
Republicans as more likely to be obstructionist, and have less
confidence in their ability to come up with the right solution to the
nation's financial woes."
Tagged: economic crisis, economy, taxes, Tea Party, President Barack Obama, Republican Party
Posted Nov 13, 2012 at 8:48 AM by Maurice Berger
While much has been made of shifting demographics in this election cycle--and it is clear from exit polling that an uptick in African-American, Hispanic, and young voters and a decrease in white participation from 2008 made a big difference in the outcome--it is easy to forget that on the issues, the GOP lost as well. As NBC News' Mark Murray, reports: "For years, the GOP has branded itself as the party that supports low
taxes (especially for the wealthy) and opposes abortion and gay
marriage. But according to the exit polls from last week's presidential
election, a combined 60% said that tax rates should increase either for
everyone or for those making more than $250,000. Just 35% said the tax
rates shouldn't increase for anyone."
Murray continues: "What's more, 59% said that abortion should be legal in all or most
cases. And by a 49%-to-46% margin, voters said that their states should
legally recognize same-sex marriage."
Tagged: Election 2012, abortion, same sex marriage, gay marriage, gay rights, white voters, Hispanic voters, African-American voters, tax cuts, taxes
Posted Apr 18, 2012 at 8:48 AM by Maurice Berger
According to a new survey by Gallup, "6 in 10 Americans favor Congress' passing the so-called "Buffett
Rule," which would mandate a minimum 30% tax rate for Americans with a
household income of $1 million or more per year. Majorities of both
Democrats and independents favor the policy, while a majority of
Republicans oppose it." Here is Gallup's chart:

Tagged: economic crisis, economy, taxes
Posted Jul 21, 2011 at 2:15 AM by Maurice Berger
A CBS News poll reports that Americans "are unimpressed with their political leaders' handling of the
debt ceiling crisis." But their is a big divide between public perceptions of the GOP vs the President's handling of the crisis. Just 21% approve of Republican congressional
resistance to raising taxes; a whopping 71% disapprove. 43%, however, approve of President Obama's
handling of the negotiations. Still, 48% said they
disapproved. So overall, the public appears to have little patience for the way these negotiations are being handled.
Tagged: 2011, deficit, Democratic Party, economy, economic crisis, Tea Party, taxes, Republican Party, US Congress
Posted Jan 27, 2011 at 1:16 AM by Maurice Berger
According to a new Gallup survey, "a majority of Americans said
they favor cutting U.S. foreign aid, but more than 6 in 10 opposed cuts
to education, Social Security, and Medicare. Smaller majorities
objected to cutting programs for the poor, national defense, homeland
security, aid to farmers, and funding for the arts and sciences." Here is Gallup's chart:

Tagged: 2011, economy, economic crisis, taxes
Posted Dec 10, 2010 at 1:50 AM by Maurice Berger
According to a new Gallup Poll, "two major elements included in the tax agreement reached Monday
between President Barack Obama and Republican leaders in Congress meet
with broad public support. Two-thirds of Americans (66%) favor extending
the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts for all Americans for two years, and an
identical number support extending unemployment benefits for the
long-term unemployed." Here is Gallup's breaking along party lines:

In terms of opposition to parts of the bill, Gallup notes: "Looking more specifically at the different ideological wings of each
party, only liberal Democrats oppose extending the tax breaks for
everyone: 39% are in favor, while 55% are opposed. Among the other
groups, support ranges from 64% of conservative/moderate Democrats to
87% of conservative Republicans. "Similarly, conservative Republicans are the only
political/ideological group opposing the extension of unemployment
benefits. The majority of moderate/liberal Republicans are in favor, as
are most Democrats, regardless of ideology."
Tagged: 2010, Democratic Party, Independent Voters, Republican Party, tax cuts, taxes
Posted Dec 08, 2010 at 12:50 AM by Maurice Berger
According to a just released SurveyUSA poll, voters who contributed to Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign
are overmelingly opposed to his deal with Republicans to extend the
Bush-era tax breaks for those making over $250,000 a year. 74% now say they do not support the deal. 51% say they are less likely
to contribute to Obama's reelection campaign in 2012, and 57%
say it makes them less likely to support congressional Democrats who
support this deal in 2012.
Tagged: 2010, President Barack Obama, US Congress, Democratic Party, taxes, tax cuts
Posted Dec 06, 2010 at 2:22 AM by Maurice Berger
A new CBS News poll reports that a majority of Americans--53%--reject the GOP's efforts to extend Bush-era tax cuts to households earning more than $250,000 per year. Just 26% of Americans support extending the cuts for all Americans,
even those earning above the $250,000 level.
Tagged: 2010, Republican Party, taxes, tax cuts, George W. Bush, West Virginia
Posted Sep 17, 2010 at 2:16 AM by Maurice Berger
A new Democracy Corps survey reports that by a 55% to 38% margin, Americans favor the view espoused by the Obama administration and Democrats in the debate
on extending the Bush tax cuts for everyone earning less than $250,000
but letting them lapse for the wealthiest Americans.
Tagged: 2010, Democratic Party, President Barack Obama, taxes, tax cuts
Posted Apr 28, 2009 at 1:51 AM by Maurice Berger
According to a DailyKos/Research 2000 poll, 48% of Texas Republicans think their state should be an
independent nation while 48% think it should remain part of the United
States.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) floated the notion of secession at a recent tax protest. Among all Texans, 61% want their state to remain part of the Union while 35% prefer an independent nation.
Tagged: 2009, Republican Party, taxes, economic crisis, economy, Texas
Posted Apr 20, 2009 at 1:49 AM by Maurice Berger
Last Wednesday, Texas Republican Governor Rick Perry, in response to a reporter’s
question about secession at a protest "tea party," said Wednesday, "We've got a
great union. There's absolutely no reason to dissolve it. But if Washington
continues to thumb their nose at the American people, you know, who knows what
might come out of that? But Texas is a very unique place, and we're a pretty
independent lot to boot." Do the voters of Texas support the idea of leaving the union? The answer in short is no, though a surprisingly large number believe the state has at least the right to succession: "31% of Texas voters say that their state
has the right to secede from the United States and form an independent country . . . [but if] the matter was put to a vote, it wouldn’t even be close. 75% of Lone Star State voters would opt to remain in the United States. Only
18% would vote to secede, and 7% are not sure what they'd
choose."
Tagged: 2009, taxes, Texas
Posted Apr 08, 2009 at 1:29 AM by Maurice Berger
A new Rasmussen Reports survey suggests that voters continue to rate taxation as an important issue: "While the economy remains the top issue nationwide, taxes are
moving up on the priority list . . . 64% of voters see taxation as very important; it’s highest
level in nearly two years. Last month, 61% said taxes were very important to them. Prior
to that survey, that number never rose above 60%.Another 26% now see taxes as a somewhat important issue,
while only 8% say taxes are not very or not at all important in terms of how
they will vote" Significantly for the Obama administration and Congress, 81% of voters say it is important to keep the middle class tax cuts promised in the president's budget.
Rasmussen Survey of 1,000 Likely Voters
April 1-4, 2009
Issue Very Important
| |
Economy
|
85%
|
Gov't Ethics/Corruption
|
77%
|
Taxes
|
64%
|
Nat'l Security/War on Terror
|
64%
|
Health Care
|
62%
|
Social Security
|
62%
|
Education
|
60%
|
Immigration
|
55%
|
War In Iraq
|
44%
|
Abortion
|
40%
|
Tagged: 2009, President Barack Obama, taxes