Self Identified Republicans want Class War


US citizens strongly support the Democrats position on taxes. Self described Republicans agree with the Democrats message if they are not told that it is the Democrats message.

This amazing fact is on page 31 of this long *.pdf which Josh Kahn posted and discusses

The relevant excerpt from the *.pdf. A large part of the purpose of the poll was to see if people are just turned off by the word "Republican" or disagree with the Republican position on issues. The evidence is overwhelming that they disagree with the Republican position -- that residual support for Republicans is a matter of partisan loyalty and not support for their policy proposals.

I am interested in US public support for soaking the rich. This poll (like all polls I have seen) suggests that it is very very strong. The poll presents the message on the issue proposed by the parties and asks respondents to choose which is closer to their views.

Republicans/Some people say we must cut taxes on the middle class
and double the federal tax credit for dependents for every family in
America. We must permanently ban internet taxes and ban new cell
phone taxes. We must stop corporate welfare by removing the tax
loopholes that are costly and unfair. And, it is time to reduce the
pressure to raise taxes by once and for all ending the tens of billions
of dollars of our tax money that is squandered by Congress on useless
pork-barrel projects.

["Republicans" get 39% support
"Some people" get 34% support]

Democrats/Other people say with such financial pressure on
pressures on families, we need to focus completely on middle class tax
relief and making sure government works for them, not the special
interests. We should limit the influence of lobbyists and repeal the
special interest tax breaks for oil companies and repeal President
Bush's tax breaks for those earning over two hundred thousand
dollars so that we can really help the middle class. We should extend
tax credits for children, make college costs tax deductible and cut
taxes across the board for the middle class.

[Democrats get 54%
Other People get 56 %]

The amazing thing (reported on the next page) is that if the parties are not named, so the choice is between the messages of "some people" and "other people", then self identified Republicans prefer the Democratic message to the Republican message by 52% to 38%.

To my eyes, this seems mainly to indicate that self declared Republicans prefer "limit the influence of lobbyists and repeal the
special interest tax breaks for oil companies and repeal President
Bush's tax breaks for those earning over two hundred thousand
dollars " to "ending the tens of billions
of dollars of our tax money that is squandered by Congress on useless
pork-barrel projects."

It might not have been a good move for the Republicans to admit that (at most) only tens of billions are involved (clearly many fewer dollars for the middle class are there than in repealing the Bush tax cuts for those earning over two hundred thousand dollars).

I'd say that this poll proves (again) that Americans (evidently including self identified Republicans) just can't wait to mount a counter-offensive in the class war.

It reminds me of the amazing polling event in 1992 when there was a focus group invited to push buttons marked agree disagree (or push neither) and self proclaimed Republicans pushed agree when Clinton said that under Reagan ande Bush Sr "only rich people have gotten tax cuts"

h/t Ezra Klein