Washington Post-ABC News poll shows Americans torn over raising debt limit

[dkf]

A large majority of Americans say the U.S. economy would probably suffer serious harm if Congress fails to give the federal government more borrowing authority. But barely half support raising the government’s debt limit, even if lawmakers also sharply cut spending.

A Washington Post-ABC News poll shows that 55 percent of Democrats and half of Republicans and independents support a debt-limit deal that includes a steep reduction in the size of government. But 37 percent of Republicans, a third of independents and nearly a fifth of Democrats say they are against raising the debt limit, under any circumstances.



The poll suggests that people believe such warnings. But large blocs — particularly among Republicans and independents — still do not like the idea of permitting the national debt to continue its upward spiral. Nor do they particularly like their options for reducing the debt.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/washington-post-abc-news-poll-shows-americans-torn-over-raising-debt-limit/2011/06/08/AGPvshMH_story.html

[Angry Dragon]

1. And did they also askif they really understood what it

meant to raise the debt limit??

[Fearless]

5. +1

[defendandprotect]

2. Cut the MIC -- in half -- !! Bring the troops home from more than 800 bases around the world!!

[girl gone mad]

3. The American people are economically illiterate.

No surprise there.

[spanone]

well, just what you'd expext with media alarms going off 24/7

where was all this handwringing when bu$h* raised it over and over?

[spanone]

4. dupe

[Fearless]

6. We already spent the money people. It won't just come back if we don't raise the debt ceiling!

[PoliticAverse]

7. What kind of person would oppose raising the debt limit?...

"The fact that we are here today to debate raising America's debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. It is a sign that the
U.S. Government can't pay its own bills. It is a sign that we now depend on ongoing financial assistance from foreign countries
to finance our Government's reckless fiscal policies."

...

"Increasing America's debt weakens us domestically and internationally. Leadership means that ``the buck stops here.'' Instead, Washington is
shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren. America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership.
Americans deserve better.

I therefore intend to oppose the effort to increase America's debt limit."

- Senator Barack Obama, on his vote against raising the debt limit, 3/16/2006

http://www.votesmart.org/speech_detail.php?sc_id=64094
http://blogs.reuters.com/frontrow/2011/04/11/washington-extra-mistakes-were-made/