A Bloomberg National Poll published last week (in line with other surveys) is instructive…
- While Americans consider the widening deficit and debt a big deal they also reject most of the measures necessary to deal with the threat by warning against touching entitlements such as Medicare and Social Security or popular discretionary spending programs.
- The public believes significant deficit reduction is possible without raising revenue.
- Although the American public is simply wrong on some issues -- their positions reflect the superficial character of the political discourse and the lack of leadership from both sides.
- “I don’t think that either party has the guts to deal with the serious issues. The Republicans don’t want to raise taxes, and the Democrats seem to only want to address cosmetic changes."
