Game of Numbers

Tomorrow the so called Sequester cuts are due to hit.  Is this yet another manufactured crisis?  I don't know...but public opinion is not on the side of this majority Republican congress!

With automatic, across-the-board spending cuts set to begin tomorrow, majorities of Americans believe that approach is not a good idea and also say the contentious budget negotiations make them less confident about the U.S. economy, according to several polls.

But just to show you how bizzare the minds of some Americans are, despite those findings, a majority of people still supports Congress moving ahead with either the current cuts or a plan containing even more cuts as a way to reduce the deficit, suggesting the public’s general appetite for reducing spending..

I'm certain that most people have no idea how this could affect them personally...They think that it will just affect those other people.

As my mother used to say..."Just wait"

These polls also show that as the nation’s political actors once again quarrel over these automatic cuts totaling $1.2 trillion over 10 years – commonly referred to as sequestration or the sequester – President Barack Obama finds himself in a much stronger position than his Republican adversaries.

“If the president needs some tweaks and adjustments, the Republican Party is pretty much in need of a major makeover,” says Democratic pollster Fred Yang of Hart Research Associates, who conducted this survey with Republican pollster Bill McInturff.
“The Republicans don’t need a silver lining; they need a whole new playbook,” Fred Yang adds.

In the poll, 52 percent of respondents say the sequester cuts are a bad idea, versus just 21 percent who say they’re a good deal. What? Go figure!!

What’s more, 51 percent believe that the budget negotiations between President Obama and congressional Republicans make them feel less confident about the economy, which is unchanged from when this question was first asked in last month’s polls.

Just 16 percent say the negotiations make them more confident about the economyBut a combined 53 percent prefer that Congress move ahead with the current sequester cuts or a plan that contains even more cuts. Thirty-seven percent want a plan with fewer cuts.

And in a separate question, exactly half of respondents say that President Obama and congressional Republicans should work together to avoid the sequester cuts from taking place, while 46 percent believe the cuts – while not perfect – should go into effect.

Of course, all of these numbers could change if these sequester cuts take place and are as dire as critics say they will be. “A month from now, we might find a very different dynamic at play,” says Fred Yang “When you feel [these cuts], that’s a different story.” Indeed !!

I don't know about you...but I'm worried...In this city and in my paycheck I'm feeling some kind of way...How bout you?

That said, strong majorities support the broad outlines of President Obama’s top domestic priorities – on immigration, gun control and raising the minimum wage.

Fifty-four percent favor giving undocumented immigrants the ability to apply for legal status, which is up two points from last month’s poll numbers.

Also, 61 percent believe the laws covering the sale of firearms should be stricter, which is up five points since January.

And nearly six in 10 support President Obama’s proposal from his State of the Union address to raise the federal minimum wage from $7.25 per hour to $9.00.

Asked which of President Obama’s proposals Republicans in Congress should offer a helping hand, 36 percent answer eliminating tax loopholes for the wealthy; 28 percent say expanding background checks for guns; 23 percent cite making preschool available for every child; 17 percent say giving illegal immigrants a path to legal status; and 11 percent say addressing climate change and global warming.

If these figures aren't making John Boehner tear up perhaps this might.. While President Obama's poll numbers may have dropped slightly..His ratings are still higher than the Republicans overall...

Only 29 percent of respondents say they agree “with most” of what Republicans in Congress have proposed (versus 45 percent for President Obama and 40 percent for congressional Democrats).

An identical 29 percent have a favorable view of the Republican Party (compared with 49 percent for  President Obama and 41 percent for the Democratic Party).

And the public believes the GOP is more interested in partisanship than President Obama is: 48 percent say PresidentObama is pursuing a path on unifying the country in a bipartisan way, while 43 percent say he's taking a partisan approach that doesn't unify the country.

By comparison, 64 percent say Republicans are taking a partisan approach, versus 22 percent who say it's focused on unity.

What’s more, the polls shows the Democratic Party beats the Republican Party on almost every issue – looking out for middle class (by 22 points), Medicare (by 18 points), health care (16 points), reducing gun violence (15 points), Social Security (14 points), immigration (7 points) and even taxes (3 points) and the economy (2 points).

The only issues where the GOP holds the advantage in the survey are reducing the federal deficit (by 6 points), controlling government spending (16 points) and ensuring a strong national defense (26 points).

So the Republicans appear to be losing the numbers game....for now...I think in wake of what may happen tomorrow and who will be blamed (from the polls, them!) It would be time for some house cleaning...don't you think???

My mom also used to tell me.."Don't let your house get so dirty that you have no choice but to clean it...." Repubs...Take heed!