Americans don't want debt hike â€“ by 2-to-1 ratio

A CBS News poll released this week, even though heavily weighted to favor Democrat respondents, shows Americans oppose a raise in the federal debt limit by an over 2-to-1 margin, with 63 percent opposed to only 27 percent in favor.

The CBS News Polling Unit's results show that 83 percent of Republicans and 64 percent of independents oppose Congress lifting the maximum amount the federal government can borrow, while even Democrats stand against it, with 48 percent opposed to 36 percent in favor.

"This is what I have been saying for months," said WND's Joseph Farah, organizer of a high-tech, grassroots lobbying effort directed at preventing the debt hike. "With this kind of widespread opposition from Americans, and especially Republicans, how can [House Speaker John] Boehner continue to promote more borrowing as a solution to America's debt problem? It makes no sense logically or politically."

Shock the Washington establishment by participating in the "No More Red Ink" campaign and shut down all new plans for bailouts, "stimulus" spending and even the funding for Obamacare.

While Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill battle over how many more billions to add to the debt, soon to eclipse the legally mandated cap of $14.3 trillion, the CBS poll confirms Americans elsewhere are more likely to sympathize with WND's "No More Red Ink" campaign, which urges Congress to say no to any hike in the debt limit – an action that would require the federal government to stop borrowing immediately and make the biggest cuts in spending in the history of the country.

"The only reason to raise the debt limit is to continue business as usual in Washington," says Farah. "There is no necessity to do it. The prudent and responsible move would be to run the government with the trillions in revenues it takes in. No individual, no business and no state or local government can just keep borrowing to justify uncontrolled spending. It's time the federal government starts operating like the rest of us do."

CBS surveyed 1,224 respondents for the poll, including 543 Republicans (44 percent of the total), 277 Democrats (23 percent) and 404 independents (33 percent).

To reach the final tally, however, the pollsters weighted the results to create a ratio of only 25 percent Republicans to 33 percent Democrat and 41 percent independent, a tweaking of the results not lost on Hot Air blogger Ed Morrissey:

"They ended up pumping Democrats up by a third while cutting Republicans in half and giving independents a slight bump upward, leaving Democrats with an advantage among registered voters that they haven't enjoyed in years," Morrissey writes. "With every two Democratic survey respondents getting three votes to a half-vote for every Republican, it's somewhat surprising to see that Obama's campaign on the debt limit hasn't resonated better than we see here."

The weighted poll included questions on several other issues as well, including Obama's overall job rating – 46 percent approving to 45 percent disapproving – as well as his handling of the budget deficit, where only 33 percent approved of the president's debt policies, while 59 percent disapproved.

Republicans in Congress, however, fared even worse, with 63 percent disapproving of the way the GOP is handling the deficit, while only 27 percent approve.

Farah's "No More Red Ink" campaign has been motivating Americans to make their displeasure with increased borrowing and debt heard on Capitol Hill. Targeting just the 241 Republicans who control the House, the campaign empowers Americans with a tool that allows them to inexpensively and efficiently send red letters to all 241 Republican House members urging them to say no to any hike in the debt limit

"It only takes 218 votes in the House to stop the borrowing and spending madness and start returning this country to fiscal sanity and constitutionally limited government," Farah said in an urgent message to all Americans. "I am convinced the only way we will achieve that goal is to starve the beast. And Republicans, those we sent to Washington to take over the House in November, have all the power to do that – right now, not in 2012 or 2013."

Shock the Washington establishment by participating in the "No More Red Ink" campaign and shut down all new plans for bailouts, "stimulus" spending and even the funding for Obamacare.

Members of the media who would like to interview Joseph Farah about this story can email [email protected].

Previous reports:

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Rush Limbaugh hammers against debt-ceiling hike

Dirty little secret: GOP budget means more borrowing

Is House Republican leadership selling out tea party?

Shutdown? House GOP moving toward freezing debt limit

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Revolt! Most House Repubs buck leadership on debt limit

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