How the Deficit and Debt Have United Us

If you flip between Fox News and MSNBC you get the impression that America is a stratified society. It is a social experiment that every political junkie must try. View the coverage of a news story on Fox; then, watch the parallel coverage on MSNBC. It's mind boggling how a report on the same event can differ so drastically. Keith Olbermann's America is the antithesis of Sean Hannity's America. Politicians exacerbate the division with juvenile bickering that leaves one wondering if there is any dignity left in politics. From afar the blue and red state phenomenon seems solidified, almost becoming part of the system itself. But a closer look reveals the media, and more disturbingly, our government, are a caricature of America, rather than a portrait.

A House Undivided

Let's take the main two issues of the day: the deficit and national debt. A survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press and The Washington Post asked Americans if the federal deficit is a problem that needs to be addressed now. The results: 89% of Republicans responded yes compared to 81% of Democrats. Both sides actually agree the deficit is a problem. The cynic would say this proves nothing; the true division comes from how to address the deficit. Democrats and Republicans are currently engaged in a fierce budgetary battle. Turn on the television and you'll find the usual talking heads berating one another's deficit plans. Yet, average Americans don't seem to be following suit.

A Washington Post/ABC News poll shows that America is more united than divided on the deficit. The poll indicates 72% of Americans support raising taxes on people who make $250,000 or more, while 27% said they'd oppose it. Americans are also in unison regarding what should be left untouched. Just 21% back cuts to Medicare; only 30% support cuts to Medicaid. A new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll shows that less than a quarter of Americans support cuts to Social Security to close the deficit. And those Tea Partiers that liberals can't stand, and vice versa, they were against cutting Social Security as well. Interestingly, More than 60% support reducing Social Security and Medicare benefits for wealthier Americans. On the biggest problem facing the country, Americans agree! Simply put, they want the wealthy to shoulder more of a burden. However, nine months ago Americans were more divided on the deficit issue.

From Free Market Defender to Robin Hood

In a September CBS News Poll, just 53% of Americans polled supported letting the Bush tax cuts expire for those making over $250,000. How could there be an astronomical 19 point jump in nine months? In September, the political climate was different. The debt has had nine more months to weigh on the conscience of the public. The debate over the Bush tax cuts nine months ago became an ideological one. Republicans painted Democrats as the same old big government tax thieves, while Democrats countered by claiming Republicans only care about the wealthy. How did the American people respond? We followed our elected officials into the political ring. The political pugilists that we are, the citizenry became more interested in scoring political points rather than creating solutions.

Nine months later, Americans are faced with the real possibility of a lower quality of life. Abstract ideas are taking shape in proposed legislation. Paul Ryan's budget looks to overhaul Medicare. Fuel prices are bringing commuters to their knees. Inflation is eating away at Americans' purchasing power, while incomes remain stagnant. Left and right are beginning to shed their allegiance to political affiliation, and putting it with their families, as they should. The middle class feels it is being squeezed, while also being asked to sacrifice. Meanwhile, one percent of the population owns 40% of the nation's wealth. The harsh realities we face have highlighted our commonalities.

In the end, Average Joe Republican and Average Joe Democrat want the same thing. Both want a secure job with a decent income. They want their children to go to a school that affords opportunity. Most don't really care about party platforms; rather, they desire a responsible government that stops the partisan bickering. The Northeastern elitist, Bible belt Southerner, and liberal Westerner have more in common than politicians and pundits would have you believe. We have given Washington a clear idea of how we want to deal with the ballooning debt. It is their job to leave the extreme left and right, meet the rest of us in the middle, and make this idea a reality.