Who Is Winning the Political Debt Battle?

The liberal media are in full-spin mode, trying to promote President Obama’s position in his battle with Congressional Republicans over the debt limit. That assumes, of course, that Obama has a position. The only tangible proposal he has put forward was his FY 2012 budget, which was greeted with snickers and failed to garner a single vote in the United States Senate.

But that is a subject for another day. The fact that they have no answer to the question that Marco Rubio posed to Bob Schieffer on Face the Nation yesterday–“where is the President’s plan?”–doesn’t deter liberal journalists from trying to do their duty toward their party. The real question is, have the administration, the Congressional Democrats and their media enablers succeeded in pulling the wool over the eyes of American voters?

The answer seems to be No. Despite the most hysterical efforts of the liberal media, a majority of Americans don’t want the debt limit increased. They understand that the problem we face is one of excessive government spending, and they are ready to start confronting the issue head-on. Other data from Rasmussen Reports tend toward the same conclusion.

First, President Obama’s standing with voters continues to be poor. His Approval Index, the difference between those who strongly approve and strongly disapprove of his performance, is in the pits at -18:

For a long time, a plurality of American voters have believed that Obama is doing an awful job. The debt ceiling debate hasn’t changed their opinion.

Second, in the generic Congressional preference poll, the GOP continues to hold a meaningful lead over the Democrats, 44-38. The public’s preference for Republican over Democratic candidates hasn’t wavered, notwithstanding the outpouring of hysteria from the leftist media.

All in all, poll data suggest that Republicans are winning the debt limit debate, and that they should not succumb to inside-the-beltway panic.

Notice: All comments are subject to moderation. Our comments are intended to be a forum for civil discourse bearing on the subject under discussion. Commenters who stray beyond the bounds of civility or employ what we deem gratuitous vulgarity in a comment — including, but not limited to, “s***,” “f***,” “a*******,” or one of their many variants — will be banned without further notice in the sole discretion of the site moderator.

Responses