Economics: Unity at Last -- Against the Deficit-Reduction Proposals

Unity at last -- against the deficit-reduction proposals: Want to know why the Bowles-Simpson, Domenici-Rivlin, or Schakowsky plans to reduce the deficit/debt are unlikely to go anywhere? Just look at these results from our new NBC/WSJ poll. While 66% of voters in the survey say cutting spending was a "major" reason in their support of a candidate in the midterms, a whopping 70% of adults say they are uncomfortable with cuts to Medicare, Social Security, and defense programs -- which just happen to be the biggest sources of federal spending. Another 59% say they're uncomfortable about raising taxes (on gasoline, for example) or changing the tax code (like eliminating deductions on home mortgages) to reduce the deficit. And another 57% are uncomfortable about raising the Social Security retirement age to 69 by 2075 to reduce the deficit. Said NBC/WSJ co-pollster Bill McInturff (R): We found a way to unite everybody -- which is producing a deficit commission that managed to irritate every different political constituency.

What was even more amazing about this data: Fully 36% of EVERYONE we surveyed said they were uncomfortable on all THREE facets of the debt commission proposals. Nearly half of that 36% are African-American (46%) and the other half, self-described conservatives (46%). [Emphasis added].

For more, see First Thoughts: Unity at Last by Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, Ali Weinberg, November 18, 2010 at FirstRead from NBC News.