57% of Republicans Should Just Be Democrats

By Andrew Belonsky, Death and Taxes

04 February 12

hanks to their long history of putting private corporate interests ahead of public welfare, the Republican Party has cultivated a reputation for helping the very rich while ignoring the very poor. That's probably why Mitt Romney said, much to his eventual embarrassment, that he's not concerned about the most down-and-out Americans because, you know, we have a big government "safety net" that will take care of them.

The White House hopeful should really consult with his party's less fortunate members: according to a Pew Research poll, 57% of lower-income Republicans - families that make less than $30,000 annually - think the government does "too little" for their ranks. Eighty-five percent of that population also expressed general distrust for the government, while 34% said they're angry with the government.

By comparison, 34% of Republicans who earn over $30,000 think the government only doesn't do enough for poor people, and only 21% of those who earn $75,000 agree with that statement. Forty-four percent of that last population thinks the government does too much for their struggling fellow citizens. About the same amount, 40%, of people who earn between $30,000-75,000 agree.

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