Happy Talk: WaPo Asks In Online Tax-Deal Poll 'What's the Greatest Benefit for Obama'?

December 8th, 2010 5:00 PM

Web pollsters at The Washington Post only want to discuss the various positives of Obama's new deal on tax rates and unemployment benefits. Their poll question was "What's the greatest benefit for Obama in extending the Bush tax cuts?" These are the happy-talk choices: 

-- Fulfilled promise of compromise with Republicans

-- Exchange for jobless benefits

-- Increased support from independent voters for 2012 re-election

-- Restored image as post-partisan leader

About half picked the exchange for the jobless benefits, while the other three drew the other half. He may be painting himself as "the last reasonable politician in partisan Washington," the Ryan Kellett blog suggested:

President Obama has shown he is will extend the Bush tax cuts in exchange for jobless benefits. But his other motive may be a deliberate strategy to reach a concrete compromise with Republicans, and portray himself as the last reasonable politician in partisan Washington. The political calculation is that in collaborating with Congressional Republicans, Obama may make political gains with voters, even if strong liberal supporters may be furious.