If Republicans are looking for a reason, other than the anticipated economic effects, to avoid letting the nation fall off the fiscal cliff, they need go no further than take a look at the polls:
A new poll finds the public views the looming “fiscal cliff” as a serious crisis for the nation and would blame Republicans more than President Obama if Washington fails to reach a deal.
Forty-five percent surveyed in a new CNN/ORC poll said they would blame congressional Republicans if there is no agreement, with 34 percent pointing the finger at Obama.
Two-thirds say the U.S. would experience serious problems if the combination of tax rate increases and automatic spending cuts expected in January take effect.
One-in-four say the country would experience a crisis, with 44 percent expecting major problems if a deal to avoid the fiscal cliff is not found. One-in-four say the fiscal cliff would cause minor problems, with 7 percent saying there would not be any consequences.
Seventy-seven percent of Americans believe their personal situation would be affected if the U.S. fell over the cliff.
I suspect that this is part of the reason that we’re seeing so many Republicans begin to distance themselves from the Norquist tax pledge and signal a willingness to make a deal to avoid the fiscal cliff. They realize that they’ll likely come out on the losing end if a deal doesn’t get made. This is one of the reasons that the President is in a superior bargaining position at the moment.
