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| [PHOTO: Pete Souza/White House] |
Washington: Barack Obama is viewed as the clear political winner in the
fiscal cliff negotiations, but the legislation itself gets only a lukewarm
reception from the public.
As many disapprove as approve of the new tax legislation,
and more say it will have a negative than positive impact on the federal budget
deficit, the national economy and people like themselves.
The latest national survey by the Pew Research Center for
the People & the Press, conducted Jan. 3-6 among 1,003 adults, finds that
57% say that Obama got more of what he wanted from the tax legislation while
just 20% say Republican leaders got more of what they wanted. And while 48%
approve of the way Obama handled the fiscal cliff negotiations only 19% approve
of the way GOP leaders handled the negotiations.
Republicans take a particularly sour view of the outcome:
just 16% approve of the final legislation, and by a 74% to 11% margin they
think Obama got more of what he wanted.
Only 40% of Republicans approve of how their party’s leaders
handled the negotiations; by comparison, fully 81% of Democrats approve of how
Obama handled the negotiations.
Relatively few Americans expect that the tax legislation
that resulted from those talks will help people like themselves, the budget
deficit, or the national economy.
Just three-in-ten Americans say the tax measure will mostly
help people like them; 52% say it will mostly hurt. And even when it comes to
the budget deficit, 44% say the deal will mostly hurt, while 33% say it will
mostly help.