Despite Tea Party Talking Points, Taxes Might Not Be Biggest Issue in November

Despite all the focus on the tea party movement, the Republican go-to strategy of tax cuts, tax cuts, tax cuts might not resonate as well in November as it has in past years. According to a new New York Times/CBS News poll, the vast majority, 62% of Americans, think the amount of income tax they paid this year was fair. Less than a third, 30%, think the amount they are paying is unfair. The result among the small group of Americans who identify as Tea Party members is very surprising:

Yet while some say the Tea Party stands for "Taxed Enough Already," most Tea Party supporters - 52 percent - say their taxes are fair, the poll shows. Just under one in five Americans say they support the Tea Party movement.

However, those most active in the Tea Party are less satisfied with the amount of income taxes they will pay. Fifty-five percent of Tea Party activists - those who have attended a rally or donated money - (about 4 percent of Americans overall) say their income taxes are unfair.

Despite being depicted as an anti-tax movement, barely a majority of the most dedicated activists think they are personally paying too much in income taxes.

Looking at the AP-GfK poll, we see that while 67% of people think it is an extremely or very important issue, it falls below the economy, health care, unemployment, terrorism, the federal budget deficit, and energy, all of which had a greater percentage of people list them as extremely or very important issues. One poll even has the IRS with a higher favorable rating than both the Democratic and Republican Party.

Clearly, in this tough economy, with 10% unemployment, people seem to be more concerned about getting a steady paycheck than about how much of the paycheck is going toward taxes. With most people thinking that their taxes are fair and the majority of Americans actually having had their taxes go down since Obama took over, it might not be the best straight up campaign issue.

I know Republicans will run on taxes, because that is just what Republicans are, but to capitalize on it, they will probably need to spin taxe cuts as somehow the best way to create jobs. Democrats, on the other hand, would be wise to depict Republicans' inevitable call for tax cuts as a fiscally wreckless move, unfit for the current economic problems, and likely to balloon the federal deficit even farther by helping the rich pay less in taxes. Either way, it is possible this election might be dominated by more serious concerns.