Only 50% Of GOP Supports Extending Bush Tax Cuts For Wealthy

Only half of all Republicans and self-identified conservatives favor extending the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy, a new public opinion poll shows. Fewer say they favor extending the Bush tax cuts just for those making less than $250,000 a year.

A study released by CNN on Friday suggests that Republicans face a curious public opinion deficit in their efforts to keep tax rates at current levels for income groups across the board. The party's base isn't entirely sold on keeping the rates in place. But they also don't favor raising them on the wealthy and no one else.

Top officials in the GOP have said they will fight the president's proposal to extend the Bush tax cuts for the lower and middle classes while allowing those for the wealthy to expire. But few voting blocs appear to back that approach.

According to the survey, only 26 percent of self-identified moderates back extending the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy. Only nine percent of liberals said the same thing. Conventional wisdom would hold that Republicans would be the chief proponents of the proposal. But only 50 percent of conservative respondents said they want tax rates for the wealthy kept in place -- the same percentage of Republicans support a full extension of the Bush tax cuts.

As for extending the tax cuts for those making under $250,000 a year, 69 percent of liberals support that approach, 53 percent of moderates, and only 36 percent of conservatives.

Meanwhile, every single age group polled by CNN favored extending tax cuts for just the lower brackets over extending them for all groups (including the wealthy). So too did respondents from every single region of the country.

Comments

[Truth In Voting]

09:37 PM on 08/21/2010

"Most people don't understand trickle-down economics," said Michele Bachmann of the Tea Party Caucus, "but anyone's whose woken up at R. Kelly's house after a party knows exactly how trickle-down works. Trickle-down definitely works. How can it not? It's basic gravitational physic--I mean, economics. It's basic economics."

[lilma]

08:57 PM on 08/21/2010

Don't worry by monday morning the other half would come around. Just leave it to limbaugh, beck, O'Reilly, Gingrich and Palin. The Sunday Talk show will convince the rest.

[yellowdog71]

06:11 PM on 08/21/2010

A~d yet the G0Per$ are v&hemently defending the tax cut$, n0t becau$e their c0n$tituent$ want them t0, but becau$e they are d0ing the bidding 0f their dark, evil, c0rp0rate 0verl0rd$.

Mitch McC0nnell: "What i$ thy bidding, my ma$ter?

[Golemaximus]

09:38 AM on 08/22/2010

Did you even read the article?

[Dbos]

05:03 PM on 08/21/2010

Explain it to them better and it would be 90 -10 ,remove the h8ters and it would be 98-2.

[bmike]

08:07 AM on 08/21/2010

This could be a serous problem for Republicans.

[tompoe]

11:27 AM on 08/21/2010

Trust me, there are not that many Republicans willing to call themselves Blue Dog Democrats.

[guveqzero]

04:53 AM on 08/21/2010

Republicans are a minority party. Why do they decide everything? Oh, I forgot. They don't believe in majority rule.

[Whitley2009]

04:23 AM on 08/21/2010

Surely, you jest. You mean all of the red neck voters of S.C. do not want the filthy rich to keep their money? Down here, if you run on the anti-abortion and anti-black tickets, they will vote for you even if you are the Devil. I've recently met a couple of them who truly believe in the "trickle down" economics idea of Reagan.

[bekahlyons]

03:48 AM on 08/21/2010

A Cnn study polled found conservatives don;t really answer Cnn polling Lol!

[sweetsalad]

03:29 AM on 08/21/2010

The government should take that tax money and create a big stimulus for ordinary citizens. That money should be shared among regular folks.

[Kamenskiy]

03:32 AM on 08/21/2010

Yes, the Bush tax cuts, as they stand, are a huge redistribution of wealth from every American to the rich. The very wealthy get the vast majority of the financial benefit from these tax cuts, but everyone is saddled with the debt, whether or not they make enough money to get the tax cut.

Republicans always accuse the Dems of wanting to redistribute wealth and interfere with the free market, but it's their own policies that do just that.

[newamericanliberal]

08:48 AM on 08/21/2010

WPA anyone?

NAL

[dimplesmile7]

03:24 AM on 08/21/2010

Sorry GOBP, you can't have your country back and you can't have your tax cuts for the wealthy. Run along now!

[newamericanliberal]

08:49 AM on 08/21/2010

FF> Love the "you want the keys back" and put it in D to go forward and R to go backwards.

NAL

[Golemaximus]

09:45 AM on 08/22/2010

Does it bother you that the majority of Repbulicans don't support the lies you are telling? Na I didn't thing so!

[Kamenskiy]

03:15 AM on 08/21/2010

Well, this makes sense - Bush tax cuts heavily favor the wealthy, which conservatives like, but lead to crushing multi-trillion-dollar deficits, which conservatives are supposed to be opposed to. Thus, it stands to reason that conservative Americans would be split roughly 50-50 on this issue.

Republicans in Washington, however, don't give a hoot about the deficit, despite using it as a political issue. Therefore, they will all support extending the Bush tax cuts, which are essentially an extremely expensive handout to the wealthy.

[newamericanliberal]

08:52 AM on 08/21/2010

FF> The Rich Dont Need Help. A loaf of bread costs the same whether I have 100 dollars or a 100 million dollars. This isnt the 1920's where the ultra rich are paying 75% of their income to taxes. Gee, the rich will pay same level as 1990 when this travesty stops. The Rich should be grateful they had the breaks and opportunity, give back a little.

NAL

[Dan Bimrose]

03:06 AM on 08/21/2010

John Boehner and Mitch McConnell who can be quoted as saying that Obama is ignoring the will of the people ad nauseum, therefore should stand in opposition to extending the tax cuts.

[TN]

03:01 AM on 08/21/2010

Now, watch the Congress do a "phase out" for their friends even though the whole country, two thirds is against it. For the first time in a long time the R's and D voters are together. What will the Congress do?

I can picture the heat both sides of Congress are getting from their Corporate Donors/owners. "I don't care what you have to do, we want that money."

Just tell them they can't win them all, or none of you will ever be re-elected again.

[kinogod]

02:58 AM on 08/21/2010

When the voter stands there in the big empty with his hand on the lever(metaphorically speaking since some will touch and some will punch out chads) he will remember cause and effect. This sign (only 30%) of tepid support for the giveaway go the rich shows how the fall races may not ultimately go the GOP's way. 30% - that tea. 70% - that's where the election is won. And with half of GOP'ers rejecting the GOP desire go give more money to the rich via the bush bank robbery of the treasury, I say November is gonna be full of surprises.

[TN]

02:53 AM on 08/21/2010

Ha, this is such an easy point to win on out in public when arguing with a republican voter. "Yeah, how'd those tax cuts for the rich work on bring jobs?" Now factor in the whole "current propaganda scare of deficits and it's a lose, lose.

Sorry rich people, you know who you are, the 1% that own 83% of all of the stock market, you ain't gettin' no more 10% tax cut. Especially on borrowed money.

As we say in the South, "That Dog Won't Hunt."