Three-quarters of U.S. voters want a special prosecutor to investigate the Internal Revenue Service’s targeting of Tea Party groups, according to a poll that showed a drop in President Barack Obama’s approval and trust ratings.
In the survey released today by Hamden, Connecticut-based Quinnipiac University, registered voters favored a special prosecutor by 76 percent to 17 percent. Those backing such a move included 63 percent of Democrats.
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The IRS earlier this month disclosed that it singled out groups with “tea party” or “patriot” in their names for extra scrutiny before deciding whether to grant tax-exempt status under the tax code’s Section 501(c)(4). Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg
“There is overwhelming bipartisan support for an independent investigation into the IRS,” Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac polling ins ute, said in a news release.
The IRS earlier this month disclosed that it singled out groups with “tea party” or “patriot” in their names for extra scrutiny before deciding whether to grant tax-exempt status under the tax code’s Section 501(c)(4). That status would allow those organizations to hide their donors even when engaging in political activity. Some Democratic-leaning groups also received requests for additional information.
The IRS focus on certain groups is one of three controversies besetting Obama in the early stages of his second term. Also spurring criticism and congressional hearings are the administration’s response to the attacks last year on a U.S. outpost in Benghazi, Libya -- which killed four Americans, including the ambassador -- and the Justice Department’s seizure of telephone records of Associated Press journalists as well as the agency’s similar investigation of a Fox News reporter.
The department obtained the journalists’ records as part of probes into leaks that involved national security information.
‘Just Politics’
Voters, by 44 percent to 33 percent, said lawmakers speaking out on the IRS controversy were raising “legitimate concerns,” according to the Quinnipiac poll. At the same time, Republican-led criticism over the Benghazi attacks was dismissed as “just politics” by 43 percent, with 32 percent disagreeing.
Questions provoked by the seizure of the journalists’ records were considered “legitimate” by 37 percent of voters, with 24 percent disagreeing.
In the poll, 44 percent of voters said that investigating the IRS actions was the most important of the three matters, followed by Benghazi, 24 percent, and the search warrants for journalist records, 15 percent.
Even so, 73 percent of those surveyed said the top priority should be dealing with the economy and unemployment.
Views of Obama
The spotlight on the controversies has taken a toll on Obama’s standing. In the latest survey, 49 percent disapproved of his performance in office, with 45 percent approving. In a Quinnipiac poll released May 1, he received a 48 percent job-approval rating, with 45 percent disapproving.
Obama was judged honest and trustworthy by 49 percent in the latest poll, with 47 disagreeing. In September 2011, the last time Quinnipiac asked that question, 58 percent said Obama was honest and trustworthy and 37 percent said he wasn’t.
Earlier polls taken after the controversies erupted showed little impact on Obama. A May 16-19 ABC News/Washington Post survey gave the president a 51 percent approval rating, with 44 percent disapproving, virtually unchanged from March.
“Certainly, the negative publicity could affect the negative job approval,” Brown said. “It’s not a very big change. We don’t know whether continued airing of these controversies in the public domain will help or hurt the president’s numbers.”
Brown also said “the fact voters say 34-25 percent that the economy is getting better also may be a reason the president’s job-approval numbers have not dropped further.”
Political Parties
Sixty-eight percent of voters said they are “somewhat dissatisfied” or “very dissatisfied” with the way things are going in the U.S.; 32 percent said they’re “very satisfied” or “somewhat satisfied.”
Voters expressed negative views of both major political parties, as well as the anti-tax Tea Party movement.
The Republican Party was viewed unfavorably by 50 percent of those polled, while 35 percent had a favorable opinion; for Democrats, the breakdown was 47 percent unfavorable, 42 percent favorable. The Tea Party was rated unfavorably by 38 percent, and favorably by 28 percent.
The Quinnipiac poll of 1,419 registered voters, taken May 22-28, has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.6 percentage points.
If you belong to a group dedicated to blowing up planes, you should get extra scrutiny when you want to board a plane. If you belong to a group dedicated to not paying taxes, you should get extra scrutiny when you want to be exempted from paying taxes. Simple as that.
90% of voters wanted universal background checks and you were celebrating when the pro gun lobby thwarted the will of the people.
Even after being proven wrong on using Obama's bull 90% figure you decide to throw it out again?
He's an idiot troll.
Remind me again how you proved this poll inacurate:
http://www.quinnipiac.edu/ins utes...ReleaseID=1847
No. Just pointing out the irony of you being ok with the will of the people being thwarted as long as its something you agree/disagree with.
gun fellatess, a large majority of both Dems, Repugs, and gun owners want to keep guns away from The Bad Guys (c) and support extensive b/g checks.
Funny quinnipac conducted both polls. One is valid one is bull trolling according to CC
quinnipac is fine. You are the bull troll. And get over your butthurt. You lost on gun control. Deal with it.Funny quinnipac conducted both polls. One is valid one is bull trolling according to CC
IRS was doing its job to vet apparently (obviously) political orgs, left and right, claiming tax exemption, and that later violated, esp the tea bagger/patriot frauds, federal tax law.
Last edited by boutons_deux; 05-30-2013 at 08:51 AM.
I am not butthurt at all. I fully understood getting even the slightest gun reform would be a monumental task, and the bull that couldn't even pass would have been minimally effective.
I just find it amusing that you appear to be upset by the fact that 66% of Americans want a special prosecuted to investigate the IRS but you were celebrating background checks being defeated despite the fact that 90% of Americans support them. Just pointing out the irony. No need to blow a gasket old man.
I find it amusing that you think I would blow a gasket over the musings of a stupid troll.
Any time you want to use the majority rules principle, remember a large majority believe an invisible man is commanding them to do things, and they believe this invisible man lives in the sky with his dead/risen son. After that the majority concept doesn't seem as stout as it did.
I think the general sentiment is that the IRS is ruthless bunch of assholes... I'm also pretty sure the sentiment existed way before the whole Tea Potties stuff... with that in mind, I can see how people would appreciate the IRS getting a dose of it's own medicine.
The IRS must be abolished. Both parties abused their enemies with this organization and there is no hope in reforming it. Read Jim Bovard's commentary on the IRS.
Haven't read your recommended commentary, but who would enforce the law of collecting taxes?
Like how Bush's WH made Texas change their drinking and driving law or lose federal funding for roads
You guys are idiots...in one breath you criticize the effects of big money on our national, state and local politics and on the other you defend the right for even more....
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