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Deficit Reduction Declines as Policy Priority
Just Half of Democrats Rate Deficit as ‘Top Priority
For the first time since Barack Obama took office in 2009, deficit reduction has slipped as a policy priority among the public. Overall, 63% say reducing the budget deficit should be a top priority for Congress and the president this year, down from 72% a year ago. Most of the decline has come among Democrats: Only about half of Democrats – 49% – view deficit reduction as a top priority, down 18 points since last January.
The Pew Research Center’s annual survey of policy priorities, conducted Jan. 15-19 among 1,504 adults, finds that the public’s agenda continues to be dominated by the economy (80% top priority), jobs (74%) and terrorism (73%). As in past years, the lowest-rated priorities are dealing with global warming (29%) and dealing with global trade (28%). (Click here for an interactive showing the public’s priorities since 2002.)
Deficit reduction had surged as a policy priority during Obama’s first term: Between 2009 and 2013, the share citing the deficit as a top priority rose 19 points. In the current survey, majorities of Republicans (80%) and independents (66%) continue to say reducing the budget deficit should be a top priority for the president and Congress. However, just 49% of Democrats view this as a top priority, the lowest percentage since Obama took office. A year ago, 67% of Democrats rated cutting the deficit as a top policy goal.
Note that Democrats have remained relatively constant in their priority for Deficit Reduction until the most recent poll. Republicans were not at all interested in budget deficit reduction while Bush was president, but immediately ramped up their “concern” when Obama became president. It shows that the Republican “concern” is completely political in nature and is not based in reason or concern for the country….
"Republicans were not at all interested in budget deficit reduction while Bush was president, but immediately ramped up their “concern” when Obama became president." Since Obama was elected, budget deficits have been rising at an alarming rate. Republicans and Independents are concerned. Republican concerns about the deficit did go up during the Bush administration…from 2002 to 2009, it went up at much as '09 to today. the Republican concern has gone down since the Republicans took the majority in the House, and I expect it will go down when the Republicans take the majority in the Senate.
JoeDad is obviously listening to too much Heritage Foundation data. AS the following data show, the largest deficit was the Bush budget that played out in 2009.
FY 2015*: $577 billion
FY 2014*: $744 billion
FY 2013: $680 billion
FY 2012: $1,087 billion
FY 2011: $1,300 billion
FY 2010: $1,294 billion
Bush Deficits
FY 2009†: $1,413 billion
FY 2008: $458 billion
FY 2007: $161 billion
FY 2006: $248 billion
FY 2005: $318 billion
That was because of the Republican induced Great Recession that reduced income and raised expenses and the legacy of Bush Polices (see: http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3849 }. Of course the conservative press prefers to use % of GDP since GDP dropped so rapidly during the Great Recession and that makes Obama's budget deficits look worse. As Will Rogers said, " Figures don't lie, but liars figure." However, no matter whose figures you use, JoeDads statement is false. Deficits have been falling during the Obama years, not increasing.