While voters responding to surveys are suspicious that Democrats will raise their taxes to chop away at the federal budget deficit, the Republicans may have a bigger problem.
The Gallup poll conducted for USA Today indicates that Rep. Paul Ryan’s budget plan could paint the GOP into a corner.
While other polls show voters are adamantly opposed to cuts in Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, many survey respondents have not yet made the connection between the Ryan proposal and substantial cuts in future Medicare benefits.
The new Gallup survey shows that the majority of participants believe the Republicans are best able to handle the nation’s red ink. They also believe that a catch-all category of “spending cuts” will solve everything.
But Ryan and his Republican team will soon be forced to explain that cuts means reductions in Medicare, Medicaid and other popular programs.
