Abbreviated Pundit Round-up: Tax the rich, stupid

AP-GfK poll, 12/5/2012

HuffPost:

Americans prefer letting tax cuts expire for the country's top earners, as President Barack Obama insists, while support has declined for cutting government services to curb budget deficits, an Associated Press-GfK poll shows. Fewer than half the Republicans polled favor continuing the Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthy.

There's also a reluctance to trim Social Security, Medicare or defense programs, three of the biggest drivers of federal spending, the survey released Wednesday found. The results could strengthen Obama's hand in his fiscal cliff duel with Republicans, in which he wants to raise taxes on the rich and cut spending by less than the GOP wants.

More:

The new poll found that, by 46 percent to 30 percent, more favor cutting government services to raising taxes to tackle budget deficits. That sentiment echoes the view of the GOP, which has emphasized spending cuts during four years of budget battles with Obama.

Yet support for trimming government services has dropped in AP-GfK polls. It was 56 percent last February and 62 percent in March 2011.

And more:

By 48 percent to 40 percent, more oppose proposals to gradually raise the eligibility age for Medicare from 65. Only 3 in 10 support slowing the growth of annual Social Security benefits. And more people oppose than favor cutting military spending.

So, cut taxes and increase services? Unsustainable. Cut Raise taxes only on the wealthy? A political winner, with policy benefits. That alone won't balance the budget, but it is a start.

And that's what's going to happen. Republicans will just lose more, the more they fight. They simply are on the wrong side of public opinion.

WaPo:

A growing chorus of Republicans is urging House leaders to abandon their staunch opposition to higher tax rates for the wealthy with the aim of clearing the way for a broad deal that would also rein in the cost of federal health and retirement programs.

Many GOP centrists and some conservatives are calling on House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) to concede on rates now, while he still has some leverage to demand something in return. Republicans are eager to win changes to fast-growing safety-net programs, such as raising the eligibility age for Medicare and applying a less-generous measure of inflation to Social Security benefits.

The Republicans are losing.

Gail Collins on how the Republicans continue to trash their brand more than anything Democrats do to them:

Santorum is still in there swinging. Lately, he's been on a crusade against a dangerous attempt by the United Nations to help disabled people around the world. This week, he won! The Senate refused to ratify a U.N. treaty on the subject. The vote, which fell five short of the necessary two-thirds majority, came right after 89-year-old Bob Dole, the former Republican leader and disabled war veteran, was wheeled into the chamber to urge passage.

'We did it,' Santorum tweeted in triumph.

Well, it doesn't get any better than that.

Added: Quinnipiac:

American voters give President Barack Obama a 53 - 40 percent job approval rating - his best score in three years - and by a wider 53 - 36 percent they trust the president and Democrats more than Republicans to avoid the "Fiscal Cliff," according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today...

Voters 65 - 31 percent support higher taxes on households making more than $250,000 per year, with 84 - 14 percent support from Democrats and 66 - 31 percent support from independent voters. Republicans are opposed 53 - 41 percent.

"Nothing like winning an election to boost your job approval. President Barack Obama hasn't had a score this good since his 52 - 40 percent approval rating May 5, 2011, right after the death of Osama bin Laden," said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.