Lawmakers fear voter backlash on fiscal cliff
Even if there is a deal, it’s certain to spark anger across the spectrum. | AP Photo
By MANU RAJU | 12/30/12 6:57 AM EST
Senators from both parties are bracing for a furious voter backlash if American taxpayers begin to receive thinner paychecks in the new year, and that dynamic is what’s driving Majority Leader Harry Reid and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to make a last-ditch effort on the fiscal cliff.
For McConnell, the concern is more urgent — both on the policy and political fronts. Polls show his party would suffer most of the blame for falling off the cliff, something Republicans can ill afford as it tries again to regain the Senate majority in two years. And as voter anger grows in the new year, Republicans will have an even weaker hand with more Democrats in the next Congress and a president who’s about to be inaugurated for his second term.
That gives McConnell all the more incentive to cut a deal now. “In the short term, Republicans are blamed more than Democrats,” Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), the incoming chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, acknowledged. “I think in the long term, the political damage is to the president and to Democrats.”
“Short of a deal, the whole rating of Washington will continue to decline,” said Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), chief deputy whip. “It’s hard to believe we can dig into families and friends, but that’s where we’ll be.”
( PHOTOS: 11 side effects of going over the cliff)
But Reid faces his own competing pressures — from a White House that wants him to carry a deal through, moderate Democrats who face a tough 2014 reelection and liberals who want him to hold firm against the GOP, even if it means going over the cliff.
A number of Democrats — several of whom will face voters in 2014 — worry no one will be unscathed, including President Barack Obama. If taxes skyrocket and deep cuts take effect, Obama could preside over an eroding economy that could torpedo his second-term agenda as he tries to broaden his presidency to focus on issues like immigration reform and gun control. Voters, Democrats in the Senate fear, will take it out on them, as well.
“I don’t blame people at home for wondering what in the heck is going on in the nation’s capital,” said Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.), who is up for reelection in 2014. “It’s hard to explain. … I don’t think it looks good for either party.”
“They’re going to be a lot of people who are going to be disappointed and a little bit put out because they elected us to do our job,” said Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.), who faces voters in two years. “Obviously, we’ll want to resolve this as quickly as possible after the new year.”
Read more: politico.com |
