By Robert Creamer
The Sunday Morning Talk Shows since November 6ths Election have featured some astoundingly stupid comments from Republican strategists who claim to believe voters gave them an Election Day mandate to continue their attempts to obstruct President Obamas agenda.
Apparently some Republicans are still living in the same parallel universe that allowed them to convince themselves that by now President-elect Mitt Romney would be organizing his transition.
It really is mind-boggling. Notwithstanding all of the available evidence they still believe that the American people want them to stand in the way of increases in taxes for the wealthiest 2 percent and to cut Medicare and Social Security benefits for future retirees.
Who got a mandate for his policies on Election Day?
- Democrats took two additional seats in the Senate and now hold a 55-45 edge. The Senate Democratic caucus now includes more Progressive members and fewer Conservative members.
- Democrats picked up at least 7 and probably 8 seats in the House and nationwide got over a half a million more votes for their House candidates than did the Republicans -- even though the Republicans continued to control the chamber.
- And the verdict that was rendered at the ballot box could be seen in virtually every national opinion survey.
popular vote.
The presidential campaign focused like a laser on the question of whether tax rates should be increased for the top 2 of Americans or whether we should adopt Romneys proposal to lower tax rates for the wealthy by another $5 trillion and inevitably increase taxes on the middle class.
The campaign centered on the Ryan-Romney budget that would have slashed spending on critical services for the poor and middle class reduce funding for education do away with Medicare and replace it with a voucher program that would increase out-of-pocket costs for seniors by $6500 per year.
And it was clear throughout that the Republicans continued to favor privatizing Social Security.
A Greenberg-Quinlan Research poll found that by 51 to 42 the voters said Obama would do a better job restoring the middle class.
They found that by almost two-thirds voters believed Social Security and Medicare should not be cut as part of a deficit reduction deal.
A November 15 2012 Hart Research poll for Americans for Tax Fairness found that:
By a strong 17-point margin voters favor ending the Bush tax cuts on incomes over250000 (56) rather than extending the tax cuts for all taxpayers (39).
President Obama now holds a commanding position in the debate over tax policy. When voters hear President Obamas position on the Bush tax cuts -- that he will sign a bill continuing them for 98 of Americans but will veto a bill continuing them for 
incomes over 250000 -- fully 61 agree with this stance. By contrast when voters are read congressional Republicans position -- that they will pass a bill continuing the cuts for all income levels but will block any bill ending the cuts for those making over 250000 -- only 42 agree while a 53 majority rejects its plan.
NBCNews.coms First Read November 15 2012 -- more autopsy 2012 with additional analysis of exit polls in battleground states -- shows that support for raising taxes for 250K earners or everyone:
- Nevada 64
- Wisconsin 64
- Virginia 63
- Iowa 63
- New Hampshire 61
- Ohio 57
- Florida 57
- National average 60.
The statement favoring investments was chosen by 51 compared to 42 for the statement favoring cuts. In fact there is little question that voters understand better than many commentators and pundits that the budget battle in Washington is not mainly about ratios of revenue to cuts or reining in entitlements -- it is about who pays. Will the wealthy who have siphoned off all of the economic growth of the last 15 years be asked to pay to fix the deficit that resulted from the Bush Tax cuts and two unpaid-for wars? Or will the middle class -- whose income has been stagnant or declining -- be asked once again to foot the bill? Voters get it. Time for D.C. pundits to get it as well.Voters did send a mandate to Republicans on November 6th -- a mandate to wake up and smell the coffee. Here are a few of the mandates the voters gave Republicans:We should avoid immediate drastic cuts in spending and instead we need serious investments that create jobs and make us more prosperous in the long-term that will reduce our debt too. Or... The only way to restore prosperity and market confidence is to dramatically reduce government spending and our long-term deficits.
- Bad idea to be viewed as a party who mainly represents the interests of the 1 and has candidates that were born on 3rd base and think they hit a triple.
- Bad idea to insult almost half of the voters with comments about the 47 who cant be convinced to take responsibility for their lives.
- Bad idea to insult the fastest growing ethnic group in America with your plans for self deportation and vetoing the Dream Act.
- Bad idea to patronize American women -- who incidentally represent about 52 of the electorate -- by telling them that government must intervene in the reproductive choices that should be left entirely to them and their doctors.
Bad idea to believe you can any longer win national races in America by insulting and alienating people of color.- Bad idea to ignore the persistent march of demographic changes that are transforming the American electorate. In addition to the growing proportion of people of color the millennial generation -- the most consistently progressive generation in recent American history -- is becoming a larger portion of the overall electorate with every passing day.
