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62% of American Voters Prefer Fewer Government Services With Lower Taxes
May 27th, 2008 at 12:28am Mark Noonan
So says Rasmussen:
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 62% of voters would prefer fewer government services with lower taxes. Nearly a third (29%) disagrees and would rather have a bigger government with higher taxes. Ten percent (10%) are not sure…
…Republican voters overwhelmingly prefer fewer government services—83% of the GOP faithful hold that view while just 13% prefer more government involvement. Democratic voters are evenly divided on this question: 46% prefer more government services, while 43% prefer less government services.
Not surprisingly, conservative voters like less government while liberal voters favor a bigger government. Fifty-seven percent (57%) of politically moderate voters prefer smaller government. A separate survey found that most adults (56%) are worried that the next president will raise taxes too much.
Sixty-two percent (62%) of voters think American society is generally fair and decent. Twenty-seven percent (27%) think it is unfair and discriminatory. Those numbers have become slightly more positive over the past month.
A lot of bad news in there for Obama and the basic leftwing worldview…this, though, tends to confirm (with the proviso that polls are always weak reeds) my long held view that America is at bottom a center/right nation; any politician who can bring together the center and the right will have the majority, while any attempt to curry favor with the left will make a politician just about un-electable. This year is the best year for the left to win not because the left is popular, but because the right is less popular than usual, and many consevatives are threatening to sit it out…but if McCain can re-energise the right and carry with him the center he’s already got, then he will win in November.
Entry Filed under: Campaign 2008, Democrats, Republicans
16 Comments
1. winnowhead | May 27th, 2008 at 1:56 am
Not surprising. Of course everyone would prefer to pay lower taxes, so the wording of this question is pretty suspect. If you ask people specific policy questions, such as on health care, you get different results:
In fact, all of the questions from that Rasmussen poll are pretty poor.
2. Mark Noonan | May 27th, 2008 at 2:39 am
Winnow,
We’d have to see the underlying demographics…but I’ll bet there is a level of accuracy in there. If people can be reasonably sure that the money will be spent for a useful project, they are probably willing to pay for it…which is why a liberal will concentrate on a few things, and try to down play the big picture…which, of course, is why we conservatives put out the whole price tag, and the amount of needed taxes to cover it…
3. winnowhead | May 27th, 2008 at 3:11 am
The majority of non-defense spending is on the extremely popular and practically impossible to dismantle systems of social security and medicare. We’re already convinced this is something useful and that we want.
(but then again I thought modern conservative thought was that we can spend into oblivion while cutting taxes, because “as Reagan proved, deficits don’t matter)
4. Magnum Serpentine | May 27th, 2008 at 7:46 am
Oh no not another Republican Rasmussen Reports poll
Next.
5. Penny wise | May 27th, 2008 at 7:52 am
As winnohead already state you must be skeptical of a Rasmussen poll. With that said, let me see, Cons have spent 16 years “INTENTIONALY” gutting the government and loading all corners of it with such incompetent leadership and political cronies as Brownie, Gonzo, Rove, and Education Secretary Spellings. Who would have thought one day Americans would lose faith in the government of the people, by the people and for the people?
6. Chuckasaurus | May 27th, 2008 at 8:54 am
Come on Mark………you know polls are only accurate when they support liberal talking points.
Polls that show Bush is bad are completely accurate, and are the be all-end all source of information.
Hypocrisy sure is a luxury the liberals enjoy.
7. ThorsonofOdin | May 27th, 2008 at 8:59 am
That’s right Noonan. Jump on your soap box (actually you need it to see up to the dinner table also, don’t you?) and trumpet your no abortion stance, but once the baby is born…once the baby is born…it’s all on it’s own then isn’t it?
No help from the state for them air breathers now. No handouts given here!
Cut the programs, cut the aid, cut, cut, cut.
Until they get to enlistment age. Ahhhh, the great battle for liberation of the Iraqi people! (just don’t let them Iraqi’s immigrate here, we’ve got enough already right?)
The only thing that needs to be cut is:
Your B.S.
8. neocon | May 27th, 2008 at 9:14 am
Thor,
Is this an abortion thread?
And can you bring anything else to the table other than fear-based, debunked propaganda?
There is SO much waste in government, that I would personally not be willing to pay one more dime of tax until they get their house in order.
If we cleaned up the waste, ended earmarks and re-allocated some of the revenue, we could have almost everything with no additional taxation.
9. Brian (Boston) | May 27th, 2008 at 9:57 am
I believe that if people were happy with the services they were receiving, then they would accept the taxes. However, since our government is screwed up we are not getting our money’s worth, that includes the Congress governing.
I am not sure we will ever get there, but can we please have a bill with nothing else attached? It is mind numbing the pages and pages of bills loaded with items that have absolutely nothing to do with what the actual bill contains.
10. miniman | May 27th, 2008 at 10:49 am
Unfortunately, the 2008 Presidential election is not an election about small V.S. big government (unless you’re a Paultard). Its about Healthcare, Iraq, social security, and the war on terrorism.
Given these issues, I would say that the Democrats definately have the upper hand.
11. Brett Michaels | May 27th, 2008 at 11:34 am
Mark Noonan | May 27th, 2008 at 2:39 am
which, of course, is why we conservatives put out the whole price tag, and the amount of needed taxes to cover it…
Except when it comes to the Iraq War.
Sorry Mark. That was too easy to not make a jab at you.
As a Marine, I was surpised at the objection to the expanded GI Bill. Why do civilians resent me getting any extra benefits for protecting this country?
12. Jay Gaultieri | May 27th, 2008 at 2:03 pm
President Bush has expanded the Federal government more than any President since the day’s of LBJ’s Great Society. Spare us the “small government” claptrap.
13. phnx | May 27th, 2008 at 3:07 pm
“As a Marine, I was surpised at the objection to the expanded GI Bill.” Brett
So all you read was that Bush and the eeevil Republicans are denying you a full paid scholarship to college? This was the dem plan which is under consideration.
You are no doubt aware you already have college tuition paymnets authorized under the present GI Bill.
You may not be aware the one of the other proposals calls for extending these payments based on time served. It also would extend the benefits to the family members of vets. This is the GOP plan.
It is getting no play in the press because it doens’t fit the BDS mantra that Bush and the EEEvil Republicans really don’t appreciate the military and only Obama cares.
The question I would ask you and some of the leftist trolls on the blog is why won’t the dems extend the benefits to the families of servicemen? Why are the dems in congress against these military families?
14. kjstrouble | May 27th, 2008 at 3:22 pm
As someone who hears about the abuses in Medicare I honestly am with my mother. She is 75, works full-time, and will continue to work full-time as long as possible, in part because she does not want to rely on Medicare. But then, she does Medicare Fraud reviews - so she knows how broke the system is. I am sure Medicaid is much the same. I would rather see our federal govt get out of anything not related to defense, foreign trade, and such. I will settle for McCain and his strong dislike of earmarks. It will be fun watching him veto pork loaded bills.
15. Pain | May 27th, 2008 at 3:32 pm
8. neocon | May 27th, 2008 at 9:14 am
Good luck with that. The one they they do have a budget for is plenty of tax enforcement agents brought to you by the IRS
16. Eric T | May 27th, 2008 at 3:34 pm
Brett-
The Pentagon said that it has a negative affect recruiting. I’m proud of you for being a Marine, that is an in-demand job right now and they need people where they are. I’don’t know, hopefully one day the will be able to rotate out troops that don’t want to be there with guys in Korea, Germany, Japan, or some where else.