Republicans feel they've seized a winning talking point by labeling as "class warfare" Obama's plan to ask the wealthiest to pay a bit more in taxes. Is that label sticking? And does it hurt?
First, growing income inequality is a fact, not a talking point. And Americans are feeling the disparity. This recent poll from the Pew Research Center/Washington Post shows Americans increasingly describe society as divided between "haves" and "have-nots."
Americans are also decreasingly likely to count themselves among the "haves." Majorities of Republicans and those earning over $75,000 a year call themselves "haves" (66% and 75%, respectively), while other demographic groups are more divided, or consider themselves "have-nots."
Second, politically, more feel Obama is interested in helping the "haves" and "have-nots" equally, while Republicans in Congress prioritize the haves. The Pew/Washington Post poll shows half, or nearly half of Democrats and independents agree Obama "treats both the same." The nice folks at Pew ran a few additional crosstabs for me, and found "haves" and "have-nots" agree Obama treats both groups the same (43%, 48%).
Attitudes toward Republicans in Congress are more politically divisive, as you can see in the chart below. Both self-professed "haves" and "have-nots" feel Republicans prioritize the haves, but the "have-nots" feel so more keenly (42%, 59%, respectively).
Third, the phrase "class warfare" doesn't seem to resonate with non-Republicans. Poll Position recently asked whether "Obama's new tax plan amounts to class warfare" and found a plurality (42%) saying it's not (35% yes, 23% unsure). The poll found predictable breaks along GOP/Dem lines, although more Republicans say it's not class warfare (25%) than Democrats say it is (16%), with independents divided. With such a simple question, before an extended debate about Obama's jobs package, it's likely this mainly measures attitudes toward Obama himself, rather than toward any specific policy.
Fourth, the "Buffett Rule" and other policies to redistribute income are wildly popular, even with Republicans and investors. A recent PPP poll for DailyKos shows a full 73% support "ensuring people who make over a million dollars a year pay the same percentage of taxes or more...as those who make less...." No group opposes the so-called Buffett Rule; 66% of Republicans, 61% of conservatives and 52% of Tea Partiers are in favor. Even two-thirds of Bloomberg subscribers (including investors, analysts and traders worldwide) support the Buffett Rule.
This is consistent with what I've written before, showing policies asking the wealthy to pay more are far more popular than those that don't. In the wake of the debt-ceiling debate, this WSJ/NBC poll found the most "acceptable" policy for the Super-Committee is ending tax breaks for the wealthy (60% acceptable, 37% unacceptable). And a contemporaneous poll by Ipsos/Reuters found raising taxes on the wealthy one of the most popular ways to stimulate the economy.
Republicans are unlikely to get mileage attacking policies that ask the wealthy to pay their fair share, as even their own voters support more fairness. With its protracted use, the phrase "class warfare" might actually reinforce the perception that Republicans care more about the "haves." And how come it isn't called "class warfare" when Republicans want to end Medicare or Social Security as we know it, or curb unemployment or food stamp benefits?
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Rev. Dr. Stephanie Buckhanon Crowder: Matthew 22:1-11: A Biblical Case of Class Warfare
Rabbi Samuel April: Class Warfare?: No Class, No War, No Fair
Ragin was a rich man's presidant and the republican party looks at him as if he was a god.
I'm not a collage educated man but I have 20/20 vision and I know a little about history
Then of course there is Bachmann. She's out and about and still bragging.
How can the Repbulicans criticize Obama for class warfare without expressing at least a smirk of hypocrisy?
That guy from Wisconsin -- he worse than Bush.
Hum. The Proponents say that the “ trade agreements — with Colombia and Panama as well as South Korea — will pump as much as $14 billion into the U.S. economy and add more than 250,000 jobs. Wow! Really? Hum....
But the “benefits may NOT be seen immediately” because it “will take TIME” for many U.S. companies to take advantage of the increased access to foreign markets. It will takes time…Hum..I thought we needed to create jobs, now? Hum….
If this trade bill is so wonderful for Americans, I have one simple question! Mr. President, why do we need an “extension of the Trade Adjustment Assistance program for $575-million in tax payer money for job training program alongside the trade pacts ? Hum… Maybe we are planning for more job displacements for Americans? Hum…
This WAR ON THE MIDDLE CLASS WORKER by politicians that support this trade policy for campaign pay-off that have created Job loss of 2.8 Million from 2001 to 2010 as reported by Economic Policy Institute! We wonder why unemployed Americans are suffering? When will this shameful stupidity!
http://money.cnn.com/2011/09/21/news/economy/middle_class_income/index.htm?hpt=hp_c2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pDRIJC31tU
Main Street does understand and does care about the rich paying their fair share of taxes. Always has.
I'm glad these statistics back up what the general public believes.
I don't ...if you do please send your name and address and I'll stop by tomorrow to pick it up.
If you don't own a car I realize you'll want mine...so you lose.
Somebody has to have a car let's work together and findout who does and then we can go and take it from them together.
We just have to be careful because ...if we get a car then somebody will be trying to take it from us and that would suck!!
Hey I'd love to pay no taxes but I know the sewer would backup and who wants that! Except maybe some who thinks paying some taxes to keep the sewer lid down is bad. If that's you, then you can have the brown stuff too with your tax break.
So class warfare is a good thing. The American middle income population should not be embarrassed that they have discovered that they were bamboozled into believing in the "illusion of prosperity" created by Wall Street. Making the wealthy have to fight, scratch, and claw to keep their wealth is healthy. Nobody simply deserves to be rich, people should only be rich as a result of hard, very hard, work and the deft fending off of competition and rivals. That is how a real FREE MARKET should work.
So let's get on with it, lets end the cheap scape America that Regan and his Voodoo economics has produced and PAY for childrens future (nothing is free, nothing!): So lets raise the marginal income tax rates back to 35% area and start paying our way.
Your thoughts ?