Previously: High Broderism: the debt, the debt, it’s the debt…. (November 16, 2012)
From CNN’s election exit polling in Missouri:
Most Important Issue Facing Country
Foreign policy:4%
Deficit:14%
Economy:59%
Health care:21%
Interesting. The deficit came in a distant third.
And the poll numbers nationally?:
The Real Mandate: CAF/Democracy Corps Election Poll 2012
By Democracy Corps/Campaign for America’s Future
November 8, 2012
….voters disagree strongly with the priorities of the elite consensus congealing around the president’s deficit commission co-chairs, Alan Simpson and Erskine Bowles, and his own discussions of a grand bargain with House Speaker John Boehner. Those discussions suggest a deal that trades cuts in Medicare and Social Security for tax reform that lowers rates for individuals and corporations while gaining revenue by closing loopholes – a sort of Romney-lite tax reform.
When it comes to a deficit reduction plan, Americans have clear ideas.
They want tax rates to be raised on the wealthy. 68 percent find a plan that did not raises taxes on the rich “unacceptable.” 70 percent support a plan that raises taxes on the top 2 percent while keeping the taxes of others at the same level. 63 percent would find a plan that continued to tax investors’ income at lower rates than worker’s wages unacceptable. 75 percent would support a plan to create a higher tax bracket for millionaires. 67 percent finds a plan that lowers tax rates on corporations or the rich unacceptable.
They do not want Social Security benefits cut over time. By 62 to 31, they would find a plan that did that unacceptable.
They do not want Medicare payments cut or capped: 79 percent, nearly four out of five, find capping Medicare payments forcing seniors to pay more unacceptable.
By 50 percent to 41 percent, they favor a deficit reduction plan that starts with closing loopholes and raising tax rates at the top, and excludes cuts to Medicare and Social Security over one that closes loopholes but “gets entitlement spending under control, including reducing the growth of Medicare and Social Security.”
The public is very skeptical of the $1.5 trillion in across-the-board cuts in discretionary spending over the next 10 years that Congress has already passed Most Americans do not share the scorn of Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan for poverty programs providing a “hammock” for the lazy.
Seventy-five percent – three-fourths of the country – find a plan unacceptable if it requires deep cuts in domestic programs without protecting programs for infants, poor children, schools and college aid.
Moreover they embrace the president’s argument that we should reduce the deficit and invest in areas vital to the economy at the same time. By 70 percent-27 percent, they support a plan to cut “wasteful spending and abolish special interest tax breaks and subsidies so that we can invest in infrastructure and technology and make sure we support education, Medicare and Social Security which are key to the middle class, over a statement that we have to cut spending seriously and that will require across the board reductions in the size of government….including education, Medicare and Social Security….
Simpson-Bowles. Ah, yes, on the Internets it’s known as the “Cat Food Commission”.
All we have to fear is:
High Broderism – Also frequently seen as merely “Broderism.” A fetishistic attachment to bipartisanship for bipartisanship’s sake; reflexive adherence to false equivalencies, regardless of whether what one side says is patently insane. The result of forty years of believing that Dirty Fucking Hippies may be hiding under your bed. Whereby a center-right pundit, often Broder himself, decrees that bipartisanship is a good thing and can be achieved if only everyone would agree with the center-right pundit. For the last ten years or so, High Broderism has been the shorter version of virtually every op-ed from David Broder.
A press relase today, from State Treasurer Clint Zweifel (D):
For immediate release:
November 19, 2012
[….]
State Treasurer Clint Zweifel joins Campaign to Fix the Debt to urge leaders in Washington to reach bipartisan consensus
State Treasurer Clint Zweifel [….] has joined The Fix the Debt Campaign, a national bipartisan group dedicated to finding a long-term resolution to the current fiscal crisis facing the United States. Treasurer Zweifel will be chairing the state’s steering committee. Treasurer Zweifel oversees state investments, invests state tax-dollars and ensures Missouri’s Aaa credit score is protected.
“The reality is that the math is simple, it is the politics that are hard,” Treasurer Zweifel said. “And it’s time for Washington to put politics aside. Fifth graders in Missouri can do the math required to fix these problems but it is going to take our politicians getting off the school yard and working together to get things done. This is not a Democrat or Republican problem and there isn’t going to be a Democrat or Republican solution. It’s America’s challenge and our opportunity to show the world why we still continue to lead.”
To learn more about Fix the Debt, you can visit their website http://www.fixthedebt.org.
Uh, oh.
Via Twitter:
Jeff Mazur @jmaz
You a Dem signing onto http://www.fixthedebt.org agenda? Get ready to explain to key constituencies why you want to “reform” Medicare/Medicaid. 11:14 AM – 19 Nov 12
sethdmichaels @sethdmichaels
“Fix the Debt” is like a doctor you go to when you think you’re having a heart attack but when you come to they’ve given you a facelift. 3:21 PM – 19 Nov 12
State Treasurer Clint Zweifel (D):
Clint Zweifel @ClintZweifel
It’s time to put politics aside, work together for fiscal responsibility & show the world why we still continue to lead. #MOTreas 2:25 PM – 19 Nov 12
The republican version of bipartisanship is that Democrats get to hand them the keys to the store, Democrats get to back the republicans’ truck to the loading dock, Democrats get to load the truck for the republicans, and then the Democrats get to smile and wave while the republicans drive away with the inventory. Almost everyone else then suffers.
Michael Bersin @MBersin
@ClintZweifel That’s easy. Let dubya’s windfall tax cuts for those making $250,000+ a year expire. Invest in public infrastructure not war. 5:13 PM – 19 Nov 12
Michael Bersin @MBersin
@ClintZweifel If we had wanted a cheerleader for the “Cat Food Commission” and High Broderism we would have voted for Cole McNary (r). 5:17 PM – 19 Nov 12
Sean Nicholson @ssnich
All I want for Christmas is some High Broderism 8:24 PM – 19 Nov 12
Michael Bersin @MBersin
@ssnich Or “clean coal” in your stocking. Same difference. 9:48 PM – 19 Nov 12
Tony Messenger should be really, really happy.
