Poll: 71% shun GOP handling of debt crisis

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

71% of the American voters don't know the difference between debt ceiling, national debt and deficit.

The Tea Party isn't that big.

[mawilson 2,133]

I personally like the GOP's handling of the debt crisis.

I just wish they had the balls to actually go through with their threats. They'll cave and raise the ceiling like the little pussies that they are.

Why are the Dems and Obama against the balanced budget amendment? What's wrong with having a balanced budget?

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

What's wrong with having a balanced budget?

There's nothing wrong with that at all. There's just something wrong with the particular amendment that the Tea Party Freaks are putting forward - Grover Norquist's wet dream. Grover Norquist's wet dream is not what Americans want. it's not even what Republicans want and not even within the Tea Party crowd do you find majority support for that nonsense.

You look at those numbers and cut, cut, cut becomes a losing proposition. Only minorities on the right and tiny slivers of Americans in the middle and on the left support the radicals within the GOP caucus.

Poll: Debt ceiling deal should include cuts and tax increases

By: CNN's Rebecca Stewart

(CNN)-As the debt ceiling clock ticks down, a new poll indicates that more Americans favor a balanced approach to reaching a deal resolving the nation's budget deficit.

According to a CBS News Poll released Monday, 66 percent of Americans say an agreement to raise the amount of money the nation can borrow should include both spending cuts and tax increases.

More than half of Republicans say the agreement should be balanced and roughly seven out of ten Democrats and independents say the same. More tea party supporters also agree, since 53 percent say any deal should include both spending cuts and tax increases.

Republicans and adults who identify with the tea party are more likely than Democrats or independents to support a plan that only includes spending cuts. Almost four in 10 Republicans favor using spending cuts alone to reduce the deficit and 44 percent of tea party supporters agree. Twenty percent of Democrats would leave tax increases out of a debt ceiling deal and include cuts only; 28 percent of independents say the same.

And though the nation is divided on whether the debt ceiling should be raised at all, with 46 percent saying it should be raised and almost half-49 percent-saying it should not, more Americans favor an increase in the debt ceiling than one month ago. Almost a quarter of the country agreed the debt ceiling should be raised in June; that percentage increased by 22 percentage points in the new survey.

Despite differences over whether the United States should be allowed to borrow more money and the kind of plan that should be reached to make that happen, most Americans want Democrats and Republicans to make a deal. Three out of four say they'd rather see leaders reach an agreement they do not fully support than see the United States default.

The CBS New Poll was conducted by telephone among 810 adults nationwide from July 15-17. It has a sampling error of plus or minus four points.

Edited July 19, 2011 by Mr. Big Dog

[mawilson 2,133]

There's nothing wrong with that at all. There's just something wrong with the particular amendment that the Tea Party Freaks are putting forward - Grover Norquist's wet dream.

What's wrong with it? And if they don't like GOP's legislation, why can't they come up with a balanced budget amendment of their own?

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

What's wrong with it? And if they don't like GOP's legislation, why can't they come up with a balanced budget amendment of their own?

The requirement to cap spending at 18%, for starters. This country hasn't seen spending levels this low in over five decades. We have, on the other hand, balanced budgets with federal spending at 21% or so and had a bang economy that lifted all boats to boot. The cut, cap and balance plan actually negates the Ryan budget blueprint that the GOP had supported earlier - that blueprint doesn't even come close to meet the new requirements. So, by supporting cut, cap and balance, the GOP is voting against their very own budget blueprint. It's more grandstanding by the party that has forgotten what it means to govern. Grandstanding, trickle down economics and legislating morality is all they have left to offer.

[mawilson 2,133]

So, by supporting cut, cap and balance, the GOP is voting against their very own budget blueprint.

Balance the budget and kill Ryan's plan in one shot? Sounds good to me!

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Balance the budget and kill Ryan's plan in one shot? Sounds good to me!

If killing the Ryan plan didn't mean that you'd adopt something quite a bit more draconian instead.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

If killing the Ryan plan didn't mean that you'd adopt something quite a bit more draconian instead.

Draconian is the liberal buzzword for financial responsibility.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Draconian is the liberal buzzword for financial responsibility.

No, draconian is the word that perfectly describes ridding the nation of Medicare, Medicaid and largely Social Security.

[mawilson 2,133]

No, draconian is the word that perfectly describes ridding the nation of Medicare, Medicaid and largely Social Security.

How does cut, cap and balance do that?

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

How does cut, cap and balance do that?

It doesn't. The Republicans aren't going to spell that out again. But if you don't get rid of the former two and drastically scale back the latter, you can't meeet the targets. Again, Ryan got rid of Medicare and Medicaid and doesn't meet the CC&B goals. That's where SS will have to give since revenues are off the table with that plan as well. Forever.

Edited July 19, 2011 by Mr. Big Dog

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

It doesn't.

You should have stopped there.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

You should have stopped there.

Why? How is this supposed to work? Where is the money coming from? There are no answers in the proposal and you know why that is. They got a beating when they voted for Ryan's blueprint which the American people disapprove of by large majorities. And yet, you can't get to these numbers w/o doing the Ryan plan (get rid of Medicare and Medicaid) and then find the additional savings elsewhere - that elsewhere being SS since Ryan has gutted everything else already. They won't say it and they won't put it on paper but once CC&B as authored is adopted, that's what it would force.

[mawilson 2,133]

It doesn't. The Republicans aren't going to spell that out again. But if you don't get rid of the former two and drastically scale back the latter, you can't meeet the targets. Again, Ryan got rid of Medicare and Medicaid and doesn't meet the CC&B goals. That's where SS will have to give since revenues are off the table with that plan as well. Forever.

Perfect. I'd like to see Social Security phased out in favor of private retirement accounts that the government cannot touch.

And a "safety net" for those who truly need it, nothing else.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Perfect. I'd like to see Social Security phased out in favor of private retirement accounts that the government cannot touch.

And a "safety net" for those who truly need it, nothing else.

Something akin to the "Poor House"? You want to make that safety net as unattractive as possible, so that only the truly destitute would accept it. The problem we have now is that welfare has become an accepted lifestyle.