A new Reuters/Ipsos poll found that Americans are closely divided over extending the Bush era tax cuts. The poll found 49% favored extending all of Bush's tax cuts -- even for the wealthiest -- while 46% favored letting them expire at the end of this year for all or some Americans.
Said pollster Cliff Young: "Americans want to have their cake and eat it too. They want tax cuts on the one hand but they want to reduce the budget on the other."
First Read notes how Republicans leaders "haven't had an easy time reconciling their pursuit to extend the Bush tax cuts -- even for families earning more than $250,000 per year -- with their stated desire to also reduce the size of the deficit."