Most Americans Back Tax-Cut Deal Most Americans Hate

 
 Most Americans think tax cuts for the rich should not expire, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. But also, according to a poll, one cited often by Democrats in the tax cut debate, most Americans think tax cuts for the rich should expire. So there you have it! Americans have no idea what is going on; they only respond to the questions they are asked by some pollster when they are trying to pour a Wendy's Frosty onto their microwave meatloaf family dinner, and those responses still have to be framed in some way to make a story. Somehow, only 11 percent of those polled in this Washington Post-ABC News deal agree with all four of "the deal's primary tax provisions." Yet 69 percent of Americans are said to "support" the plan. They have stood their ground, as Dana Milbank would say.

But only 20 percent of those polled say they "strongly support" the plan, and that number drops to 17 when the pollster repeats some mean things opponents have said about the plan. So how many in that 17 percent just refused to admit their first reaction was wrong? This stuff is tough, because Americans are always right about everything.

While the Washington Post treats this as evidence that Americans support the plan -- the fact of which will be good enough for the Obama administration to use in pushing it -- a near majority selected one of the five options, "somewhat support," when asked about the plan. In other words, it's a compromise, it has bad and good parts, and they only support part of it.

What part do they support? Extending unemployment benefits, very strongly. What do they oppose? Cutting Social Security payroll taxes, because the word "cutting" was placed next to "Social Security," and all of the old people took out their shotguns and pointed them at the kitchen telephone.

AMERICA LIKES EVERYTHING AND IT LIKES NOTHING. The end. Just stop polling on everything but the horse races. [ WP ]