Public strongly supports Obama’s deficit policies, but disapproves of his handling of issue, anyway

[TomCADem]

Source: Washington Post

New Washington Post/ABC News polling released this morning is unequivocal: There is strong across the board support for Obama’s policy preferences on the deficit.

And yet, in what appears to be an emerging pattern, that support is not matched by general approval of Obama’s handling of fiscal matters.

The poll finds that 72 percent overall, and 68 percent of independents, support hiking taxes on those over $250,000. Even 54 percent of Republicans support this.

Meanwhile, 65 percent say Medicare should remain as it is today and should not be transformed into a voucher program. Only 34 percent favor changing the program. A solid majority, 59 percent, also supports a mix of tax hikes and spending cuts to reduce the deficit — the Dem approach — versus only 36 percent who support only cuts.


Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/post/the-morning-plum/2011/03/03/AFT9jLBE_blog.html

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The power of the corporate media propaganda machine. During the health care reform battle, the news media ran sensational stories about death panels, rather than focusing on the actual substance of the debate. Likewise, the corporate media continues to run stories attacking President Obama from the left and right, celebrating negative poll results, but largely ignoring the substance of the policy choices facing our government.

Republicans get a free pass on their attempts to overturn democratic rule with supermajority requirements for tax increases and their efforts to assist their Wall Street contributor's efforts to game financial markets by threatening to default on U.S. Treasuries. Instead, the media focuses on stories about President Obama's birth certificate.

Journalism is dead. Blame Democrats! Give Republicans a free pass! Long live corporate, Fox News propaganda!

[Davis_X_Machina]

1. Just like DU, in other words. n/t

[AndyTiedye]

9. DU Makes No Claims of Impartiality

[greenman3610]

2. that means there is work to do.

if journalism is dead, that's good. It was not serving us. We need to re-imagine and remake it.
You're all intelligent and wired people, you have a voice, you have the same media that Egyptians used
to overturn their society, and many advantages besides.
It's go time.

[AndyTiedye]

12. Journalism is Dead, but the Mighty Slime Machine is in Full Effect

you have a voice

My hat's off to those who have the exquisite persuasive abilities needed
to overcome the Mighty Slime Machine's brainwashing in another person.

How do you do it?

Rational discourse is of no use here, because Republicans are not rational.
The fact that most Republicans are "birthers" is proof enough of that.
Republicans will believe ANYTHING the Tee Vee or the preacherman tells them.

you have the same media that Egyptians used to overturn their society

That is still a work in progress. They haven't won anything yet except Mubarak's ouster.

Of course, we can protest. We have been protesting. You might even have seen some of the
protests on TV, if your TV is hooked up to your computer and the computer is streaming Al Jazeera.
On the regular TV, they'll be talking about the distressed starlet of the week.

[No Elephants]

17. As to Egypt, the jury is still out, IMO..

Egypt was under military rule with a figurehead. So far, I'm sure only that the figurehead is gone, and probably a lot of Egypt's wealth with him.

Troops who did not attack demonstrators while Mubarak ruled attacked them after he was out of the picture.

what willl happen in Egypt in the next few years remains to be seen.


Of course, none of that means anything as far as the U.S., one way or the other. I have no idea what it would take to move the Left here.

[bjobotts]

3. Bullshit.Look around.Americns are waking up to this republican hypocrisy

[bjobotts]

4. Even against all odds like corporate media propaganda voters can see they were duped by repubs.

[bjobotts]

5. One person talking to another person sharing their hope and vision will trump the misinformation

[bjobotts]

6. Just watch the Maddow video posted here. Courage and Keep the Faith.Thanks for posting this.

[movonne]

7. Well it is all the corporations that own us ... it stands to reason that

they would side with the repugs...and 99% of the media is large corporations..

[Ian David]

8. See, there's a BLACK MAN doing it. n/t

[Terry_M]

10. Good ideas, poor execution?

[trud]

11. Some good ideas, no bully pulpit.

The man doesn't know how to rally the troops. And some of the troops are p*ssed off at his being half a Republican..

[rury]

13. Good ideas, good use of bully pulpit

Unacceptable skin color for too many.

[trud]

15. no bully pulpit

Could have fooled me. More than half the country believes the Republican nonsense, so Obama and the Democrats are not getting their message across.

[KurtNYC]

19. He knows how to rally the left but chooses not to

The WH called Wisconsin a "distraction." Obama got elected in spite of the media, racism and an unverifiable ballot box system.

Obama is there to pacify, not to rally.

[freshwest]

14. The media has been polluting the national consciousness for far too long.

[GeorgeGist]

16. Maybe their catching on to the fact ...

that Obama can't walk the walk.

[No Elephants]

18. Can anyone name a President who wasn't attacked from both left and right?

Anyone? Anyone?