Pew's chart on how Americans want to cut the deficit, from that poll I mentioned earlier:
I'm surprised no one's mentioned this yet, but most of the proposals that have the most support--taxing the wealthy, winding down military commitments overseas, and raising the contribution cap on Social Security are all things liberals support. Americans' well documented misperceptions about the size of foreign aid probably account for it's position at the top. Meanwhile, Americans overwhelmingly opposed all the things Republicans want to do, from cutting infrastructure spending to raising the Social Security retirement age to cutting aid to the poor, with the exception of taxing employer provided health care plans. For all the conventional wisdom about the U.S. being a center right country, public opinion seems to be mostly on the Democrats' side when it comes to the specifics, which makes one wonder why they so consistently seem to be negotiating with a weak hand--or at least why they feel so compelled to adopt Republican frames on policy matters.
