COMMENTARY | It's no surprise that the latest Pew Research poll shows 67 percent of Americans "approve of raising the tax rate on incomes over $250,000" in order to address the debt crisis. Most political watchers could also have predicted that more Democrats would be in favor of this strategy than Republicans (82 percent to 47 percent).
What is remarkable is how many Republicans would favor reducing "military commitments overseas" (54 percent) and limiting "tax deductions for large corporations (56 percent - the same as Democrats). Traditionally Republicans favor measures to limit or reduce taxes. The one type of spending they usually do support is military spending. What gives?
Perhaps it's the influence of the tea party, whose make up is more blue collar than white. Their platform is often at odds with traditional Republican positions.
Take Immigration for instance. Tea party candidates, like Michele Bachmann, favor strict enforcement of existing laws, and even a return to now discredited practices that favored Whites and prohibited Asians from becoming citizens.
Some candidates even favor legislation to punish businesses that employ illegal aliens. There's an idea that really goes against the grain of traditionally business oriented Republicans.
With some polls showing that as many as 33 percent of voters identify themselves as independents, the party that is in step with their views will have an edge. The same Pew poll gives that advantage to the Democrats.
In most categories the independents were more closely aligned with Democrats than Republicans. When asked if they would be willing to "reduce funding to help lower income Americans" as a debt reduction measure, 63 percent of Democrats disapproved of this measure. Fifty-eight percent of Independents disapproved -- a 5 point differential. However only 43 percent of Republicans disapproved, which separates them from Independents by 15 percentage points.
Nevertheless, it's remarkable that 43 percent of Republicans do not want to see entitlement programs for the poor cut. The GOP candidates all have placed these programs on the chopping block.
It seems there's much disagreement among Republicans about what their platform should contain. Ultimately if the candidates hope to win against Obama, they will have to moderate their views to attract independent voters.
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