Poll: Occupy Wall Street Preferred Over Tea Party
MIAMI (CBSMiami.com) – The allure of the Tea Party was all the rage during the 2010 midterm election, but it's time may have passed with the Occupy Wall Street movement gaining momentum.
According to the Time poll, 33 percent of those surveyed had a somewhat, or very, unfavorable view of the Tea Party.
The poll also found that a plurality of those surveyed said the Tea Party has had a negative impact on American politics.
Conversely, 54 percent of those surveyed had a somewhat or very favorable view of the growing Occupy Wall Street movement. Just 23 percent of those surveyed viewed the movement unfavorably.
Eighty-six percent said Wall Street and its lobbyists have too much influence in Washington and 79 percent said the gap between rich and poor in the United States has grown too large.
The poll reported that nearly 2/3 of those surveyed said the best way to reduce the federal budget deficit is to cut federal spending and raise taxes.
Republicans and Tea Party members have flatly refused to raise taxes on anyone to help pay down the debt.
But, that position is growing increasingly perilous heading into the 2012 election. Seventy-three percent of those surveyed by Time said they favor raising taxes on people with annual incomes of a million dollars or more.
In addition, 74 percent said that raising taxes on people earning a million dollars or more would not hurt the economic recovery.
