Americans hate government, but they love Medicare, Social Security, and environmental regulations

Washington Post, August 2, 2012

 "This is, of course, exactly the turf this presidential race will be fought upon. Romney says Obama wants America to be a “government centric” society, and mocks the Obama campaign’s “Life of Julia” web application because it supposedly envisions government holding Julia’s hand from cradle to grave. But Romney also wants to cut taxes deeply on the rich, which will all but certainly place more of the burden of deficit reduction on cutting popular programs that Julia — and the majority of Americans — have grown to like a good deal.

Romney says we need to sweep government regulation aside so the free market can shower everyone with opportunity, and conservatives appear confident this message will reinforce a sense that Obama’s policies have strangled the recovery. But the public likes the idea of using government to protect the environment. And this poll didn’t even ask about food safety.

If Obama can steer this into a debate over who Americans should trust to approach entitlement and regulatory reform in a balanced way, one that defends middle class interests — him, or Romney and a bunch of Tea-boiling-mad right-wing Congressmen — then perhaps he can begin turning the argument over government to his advantage."