Tea Party voters, by almost 2-1, oppose Social Security cuts
WASHINGTON— Less than a quarter of Americans support making significant cuts to Social Security or Medicare to tackle the country’s mounting deficit, according to a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll, illustrating the challenge facing lawmakers who want voter buy-in to alter entitlement programs.
In the poll, Americans across all age groups and ideologies said by large margins that it was “unacceptable” to make significant cuts in entitlement programs in order to reduce the federal deficit. Even tea party supporters, by a nearly 2-to-1 margin, declared significant cuts to Social Security “unacceptable.”
A couple of other interesting data points in the guts of the poll:
Which comes closer to your point of view?
Statement A: Government should do more to solve problems and meet the needs of people.
Statement B. Government is doing too many things better left to business and individuals.
Statement A: 51 percent.
Statement B: 46 percent.
Would the following steps be acceptable or unacceptable as a means of reducing the federal deficit?
A surtax on millionaires:
Acceptable: 81 percent
Unacceptable: 17 percent
Phasing out Bush tax cuts for families making $250,000 or more:
Acceptable: 68 percent
Unacceptable: 19 percent
Significantly cutting Medicaid:
Acceptable: 34 percent
Unacceptable: 65 percent
Significantly cutting Medicare:
Acceptable: 23 percent
Unacceptable: 76 percent
Significantly cutting K-12 education:
Acceptable: 22 percent
Unacceptable: 77 percent
– Jay Bookman
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Guides
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2012 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
674 comments Add your comment
Adam
March 3rd, 2011
1:05 pm
Do we have demographics on the poll participants?
Doggone/GA
March 3rd, 2011
1:06 pm
“Do we have demographics on the poll participants?”
Now Adam, you KNOW that’s it’s only DEMOCRATS who read the WSJ!
Adam
March 3rd, 2011
1:07 pm
My guess: The Tea Party voters are largely baby boomers about to try and collect on Social Security. But wait, didn’t the Tea Party rail against entitlement spending? Isn’t everyone who accepts any government money somehow bad?
Jay
March 3rd, 2011
1:09 pm
Adam, click on the “guts of the poll” link.
Jack
March 3rd, 2011
1:10 pm
TheSocial Security fund wouldn’t be in trouble if payments were stopped to individuals who have never paid into the fund.
TaxPayer
March 3rd, 2011
1:13 pm
Well, it looks like that poll provides the Republican Party with the justification they’ve been looking for to eliminate Social Security and Medicare and Medicaid whilst cutting taxes more for the rich and implementing a VAT, etc.
Finn McCool
March 3rd, 2011
1:13 pm
Did you expect more from Tea Partiers? Not a whole lot of rational thinking in that movement – more of a “thinking by gut instinct”. I mean many of them did vote for W (Mr. Gut instinct) twice.
Why is Beck and Hannity so popular with this group? Lots of reliance on “gut instinct”.
Doggone/GA
March 3rd, 2011
1:13 pm
“TheSocial Security fund wouldn’t be in trouble”
The SS fund isn’t in trouble. It’s fully funded through 2037, and it only needs minor “tweaks” to continue having it fully funded.
USinUK
March 3rd, 2011
1:13 pm
Adam – fercryingoutloud … it’s the WSJ … you do know who owns the WSJ, don’t you???
here’s a hint: his name rhymes with SCHMURDOCH.
USinUK
March 3rd, 2011
1:14 pm
meanwhile, one would hope that this poll would answer the musical question “exactly WHO is the mainstream” once and for all …
… but, we know how these guys HATE polls that conflict with their deeply. held. beliefs.
jt
March 3rd, 2011
1:15 pm
These polls, if truly indicative of American opinions, are a perfect example of what “government schools” produce.
The free-thinkers and believers of personal liberty are gone or going. Enjoy yall’s little collective party and Chevy volts. Hope it turns out better than all others in history.
Ron Paul in 2012 or Chile.
Jay
March 3rd, 2011
1:16 pm
Chile has a national health care system, jt.
Keep Up the Good Fight!
March 3rd, 2011
1:17 pm
Uh oh, that “clear” message from November I keep hearing about……maybe no so clear. Maybe the Republicans are hearing things that are not true…just as they often speak things that are not true.
Finn McCool
March 3rd, 2011
1:17 pm
A surtax on millionaires:
Acceptable: 81 percent
Unacceptable: 17 percent
Phasing out Bush tax cuts for families making $250,000 or more:
Acceptable: 68 percent
Unacceptable: 19 percent
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
this is what Maddow was discussing last night. When Democrats stop chasing the money (trying to be like Republicans) and do good for everyday people, they do good in the voting booths. Otherwise, the do lousy in the voting booth.
Peadawg
March 3rd, 2011
1:17 pm
“Significantly cutting Medicaid:
Acceptable: 34 percent
Unacceptable: 65 percent
Significantly cutting Medicare:
Acceptable: 23 percent
Unacceptable: 76 percent
Significantly cutting K-12 education:
Acceptable: 22 percent
Unacceptable: 77 percent”
**face palm – smacks self on forehead**
Adam
March 3rd, 2011
1:18 pm
USinUK: But it’s LIBERALLLLLLLLL
Surely it is! Because it disagrees with me and also thinks that Obama was born in this country…
TaxPayer
March 3rd, 2011
1:18 pm
You might want to try some place like Afghanistan instead, jt. I don’t think they have any socialist agenda going so you’ll have all the freedom you can stand, tax-free.
Where's My Party?
March 3rd, 2011
1:22 pm
The Entitlement States of America. How extremely, extremely sad.
Normal
March 3rd, 2011
1:23 pm
PeaDawg,
Looks like you’re a minority!
jm
March 3rd, 2011
1:24 pm
Well, then, said 2/3rds of Tea Partiers don’t understand the magnitude of the fiscal problem facing this nation. The Democrats should be recruiting them heavily. They’ll fit right in.
God Bless America.....and no one else
March 3rd, 2011
1:24 pm
TaxPayer, obviously you haven’t been to Afghanistan……
jm
March 3rd, 2011
1:25 pm
Points out the need for some serious education work from our leadership. Oh wait, we don’t have any, cause Obama is too busy playing political prostitute.
One Nation Under educated
March 3rd, 2011
1:25 pm
Well, if it isn’t on substantive issues, then what pray tell is it that sends the wingnuts into Obama derangement? (he asked naively)
AmVet
March 3rd, 2011
1:25 pm
AH HAH, just as I suspected!
The results are massively skewed because only 77% of the respondents were white! (We need George W to help rectify this miscarriage of polling justice!)
And I’m with Where’s My Party? on this one.
Do something about the millionaire/billionaire entitlement mentality…
jm
March 3rd, 2011
1:25 pm
Where’s My Party? 1:22- second that
Keep Up the Good Fight!
March 3rd, 2011
1:25 pm
Peadawg is going to give himself serious brain damage if he keeps slapping his head….especially when the republican state legislature imposes more taxes (the tax on food is the leader on the return list).
Finn McCool
March 3rd, 2011
1:25 pm
jt why no like the Volt? It’s electric? runaway! OMG! Scary stuff.
People had a similar reaction to indoor plumbing when first introduced.
“You can have your Quilted Northern and stuff, I like my pine board, I’m a Real American”
jm
March 3rd, 2011
1:26 pm
When you have 150 million people dependent on the government, you know there’s a problem.
The US has entered the “decline” phase. Thanks libs.
Peadawg
March 3rd, 2011
1:26 pm
“The Entitlement States of America” – No kidding…..
N-GA
March 3rd, 2011
1:26 pm
Duh……What’s still scary are the 1/3 of Teabaggers who want to cut Social Security. Those idiots don’t even have any idea what that means!
jm
March 3rd, 2011
1:27 pm
Jay 1:16 – Chile also has private savings accounts instead of a system like Social Security.
Peadawg
March 3rd, 2011
1:28 pm
LOL @ Keep @ 1:25!!!
AmVet
March 3rd, 2011
1:29 pm
We’re in one helluva financial situation.
As a nation, we can no longer afford to give entitlements to the middle and lower classes.
But we absolutely MUST keep them for the super-rich…(Just trying to think like a Republican.)
jt
March 3rd, 2011
1:29 pm
Jay-
There is also a thing called “choice” in Chile.
“Health care in Chile is very advanced and state of the art on the high end. The national health care system provides basic medical service and coverage to all levels of society. Quality is however better at private clinics and hospitals around Chile, though even the most expensive private clinics are relatively affordable (at least by U.S. standards). ”
Also, in Chile, the Health Nazi/Lawyers do not permeate EVERY sector of society.
And the pleasure police are routinely “tarred and feathered”.
“Many drugs that require a prescription in the USA, such as insulin, a prescription is not needed in Chile. If you can convey what you need to the pharmacist, then they will get it for you. ”
Along with the Ron Paul or Chilean choices, there IS another choice that is gaining great traction.
Nullification …baby.
Know it, live it, …LOVE IT………………Its coming.
jm
March 3rd, 2011
1:29 pm
FYI, I accept the results of the poll. But as has been noticed by everyone in the polling industry, land line polls miss a huge segment of the population now. Namely, younger people. Don’t know their tilt, but if you get all senior citizens (land line users and responders), then you’re missing the real cross section of America. But I’m no poll expert. If these polls are correct, then we’re really screwed until we get a real leader or until after we go bankrupt.
TaxPayer
March 3rd, 2011
1:30 pm
The US has entered the “decline” phase. Thanks libs.
That’s right. If people would just die in their thirties, we wouldn’t have these problems. Down with Dems and their science agenda.
jt
March 3rd, 2011
1:31 pm
TaxPayer
You are correct on Freedom in Aphgan…………….pre-U.S. involvement.
TrickleDownStupid
March 3rd, 2011
1:31 pm
Jack – are you suggesting we not provide funds to widows(home makers) and children who receive survivor benefits? Otherwise, who else is collecting SS?
Bosch
March 3rd, 2011
1:31 pm
Off topic, but just had to post (from ajc article today):
Among representatives that removed their names were Jon Burns of Newington, Penny Houston of Nashville, Tom McCall of Elberton, Ann Purcell of Rincon and Ron Stephens of Savannah. All are Republicans.
“It’s just much more in depth than I originally anticipated,” Stephens said of dropping his support for a measure inspired by the “birther” movement, which believes President Barack Obama was not born in the United States.
Translation: Someone with sense pointed out to me how stupid this is and that probably not all of us could produce our own long form birth certificate, or that it would also exclude many other people from being on the ballot in the future, and instead of farting around with stupid legislation like this, many people emailed me and told me to quit goofing around and get back to creating jobs and expanding our economy in the State. Sorry, my bad.
jm
March 3rd, 2011
1:31 pm
Jay. Same poll. Teachers poll positive 73%. And… Teacher’s Unions…. 47%. See the difference? The American people do….. (or some subset of the American People)
Peadawg
March 3rd, 2011
1:31 pm
As a nation, we can no longer afford to give entitlements to ANYBODY (fixed your typo, AmVet). PERIOD! I just wish politicians and voters understood this…
jm
March 3rd, 2011
1:32 pm
God bless America. She needs it.
jt
March 3rd, 2011
1:33 pm
Finn McCool
Actually..more like a corn cob.
I’m out.
jm
March 3rd, 2011
1:34 pm
More than 60% of poll respondents supported reducing Social Security and Medicare payments to wealthier Americans. And more than half favored bumping the retirement age to 69 by 2075. The age to receive full benefits is 66 now and is scheduled to rise to 67 in 2027.
From the article accompanying the poll.
AmVet
March 3rd, 2011
1:35 pm
josef, from downstairs, Dyslexics of the World, Untie!
And pay no attention to that warm wet feeling on the back of your head folks, it’s just the trickle down.
OK, off to keep the plutocrats comfy!
Later…
Bosch
March 3rd, 2011
1:35 pm
“But wait, didn’t the Tea Party rail against entitlement spending?”
Adam, Adam, Adam, didn’t you get the memo? The Tea Party definition of entitlement spending is ONLY those losers on welfare.
RLJ
March 3rd, 2011
1:35 pm
When the question is phrased as significant cuts in Social Security and Medicaid, one would assume cuts for those already receiving such benefits. Of course, few support this. However, ask specifically about raising the retirement age or income based benefits or other measures that will be affect future recipients, and I think the results will be different.
Bosch
March 3rd, 2011
1:37 pm
Keep,
” Maybe the Republicans are hearing things”
Those little voices in their heads can be quite influential — and they ride the unicorns in their back yards too, so I’ve heard.
jm
March 3rd, 2011
1:37 pm
“Mr. McInturff called the poll “a huge flashing yellow sign for Republicans on how much preparation will be needed if they propose to change Social Security and Medicare.”"
Well, I guess we should just put this off until 2020 or so, or, said a different way, until after we’re bankrupt. Then we can fix it.
Jay, what you may or may not realize, is, this problem is going to fix itself one way or the other. Less pain now, or more pain later….
Adam
March 3rd, 2011
1:37 pm
The Mexican President just thanked Obama for his leadership. CLEARLY this means he’s a liberal and not to be taken seriously. (snark)