Taegan Goddard's Political Wire

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February 04, 2010

Republicans Favor Budget Deficits Over Tax Increases

A Rasmussen Reports survey finds that while 50% of Republicans would rather see the United States run a budget deficit by keeping tax cuts in place, a plurality of Democrats (46%) favor the opposite approach -- a balanced budget with higher taxes. Voters not affiliated with either party are evenly divided on the question.

When asked if it was possible to balance the federal budget without raising taxes, 47% of Republicans think it's possible while 53% of Democrats do not think so.

Interestingly, TPM notes that only a very small minority knew the correct answer to this question: "Is the following statement true or false? Most federal spending is spent on only three programs -- Social Security, Medicare and national defense."

The correct answer is "True," but only 35% got it right with a 44% plurality saying it was false.

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Taegan D. Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country, including the Washington Post, USA Today, Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Tribune, Philadelphia Inquirer and Christian Science Monitor.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

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