Reality backlash

Interesting results in this new national McClatchy-Marist poll; apparently the Republican base isn’t so hot on cutting Medicare and Medicaid after all.

And a very sizeable percentage of Republicans also likes the idea of the wealthy paying higher taxes.

On tackling the deficit, voters by a margin of 2-to-1 support raising taxes on incomes above $250,000, with 64 percent in favor and 33 percent opposed. Independents supported higher taxes on the wealthy by 63-34 percent; Democrats by 83-15 percent; and Republicans opposed by 43-54 percent. Support for higher taxes rose by 5 percentage points after Obama called for that as one element of his deficit-reduction strategy last week. Opposition dropped by 6 points. The poll was conducted before and after the speech. Americans clearly don’t want the government to cut Medicare, the government health program for the elderly, or Medicaid, the program for the poor. Republicans in the House of Representatives voted last week to drastically restructure and reduce those programs, while Obama calls for trimming their costs but leaving them essentially intact. Voters oppose cuts to those programs by 80-18 percent. Even among conservatives, only 29 percent supported cuts, and 68 percent opposed them.

Looks like a little reality backlash going on. Republicans suddenly woke up and realized, “Hey! You mean MY Medicare is going away too?”