Polls Spank Malloy

The most recent poll from the Yankee Institute shows Governor Dannel “The Vozhd” Malloy blowing bubbles below the water line.

“Voters oppose by wide margins every Malloy administration initiative tested in the survey:
• On the budget deal, 57% of voters say the new state budget agreement ‘spends too much and raises taxes too much,’ while 39% describe it as ‘about as good as could be expected given a weak economy.’
• On the labor union concessions, 49% of voters say state employee unions ‘did not give up enough and should have been asked for more,’ while 36% say ‘the unions did give up a lot.’
• By a margin of 60-30%, voters describe the $572 million New Britain busway project as ‘a bad use of taxpayer money.’
• By a margin of 56-25%, voters describe the $864 million UConn Health Center expansion as ‘a bad use of taxpayer money.’”

During the next legislative season, Mr. Malloy plans to travel about the state attempting to convince easily duped businessmen that Plan A, which includes a doubling of the corporate surcharge tax and the largest tax increases in Connecticut’s history, are good for business.

Mr. Malloy’s assault on business in Connecticut is old news to those who follow Connecticut Commentary.

The numbers on the latest Quinnipiac poll will not lighten the hearts of Malloy accolades:

“Connecticut voters give Gov. Dannel Malloy a negative 38 - 44 percent approval rating, apparently driven by 43 percent who are "dissatisfied" with the new state budget and another 16 percent who are "angry" with the budget, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. Only 36 percent described themselves as ‘enthusiastic’ or ‘satisfied’ with the budget.

“Today's results compare with a negative 35 - 40 percent approval rating for Gov. Malloy in a March 9 survey by the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University poll.”

According to a CTMirror report, poll director Doug Schwartz said the low numbers are a reflection of how voters perceive the Malloy budget:

"'His low approval rating is a reflection of how voters feel about his budget,' said Douglas Schwartz, the poll's director. 'Many voters are dissatisfied and some even say they are angry. They think the budget relies too much on tax increases and not enough on spending cuts. They also think the middle class is paying more than its fair share while those with higher incomes aren't paying their fair share.'

"Only 17 percent say the new budget fairly spreads taxes across income groups, while 67 percent say Malloy should have sought higher taxes from people with higher incomes, a view that eroded support in his Democratic base. His tax package is viewed as fair by more Republicans (27 percent) than Democrats (10 percent) or independents (19 percent.)

"'Gov. Dannel Malloy should be doing better in a blue state like Connecticut, but he gets only a 52 percent approval rating among his base of Democrats,' Schwartz said.”

The Republican-Democratic divide may signal the beginning of a class warfare struggle between progressive Democrats and center right elements in both parties.

Having accomplished at the tail end of the flaccid administration of Governor Jodi Rell their aim of adding a progressive feature to the relatively flat Weicker income tax, progressive Democrats in the legislature such as Speaker of the House Chris Donovan and President of the Senate Don Williams have been signaling their eagerness to make the rates tax more steeply progressive. Mr. Malloy’s resistance to the effort is rooted in prudential rather than ideological predilections. But his soft resistance, moderate Democrats and Republicans fear, may easily be overcome.

Mr. Malloy’s effort's in accommodating unions has been much more energetic than his efforts to accommodate, say, Republicans, who are now being cited by Mr. Donovan for their obduracy. Even a slight resistance on the part of Republicans to the Malloy-Williams-Donovan juggernaut is bound to be characterized by Connecticut's new one party state as "extreme", a useful derogation borrowed from Sen. Charles Schumer of New York.

Of course, the Republican objections to a budget that even the left of center New York Times has characterized as “the most liberal in living memory” are hardly extreme. Since Democrats clearly have decided to use their numbers in the General Assembly to establish a progressive regime, the objections, however apposite, will most certainly fall on deaf ears. It is a considerable understatement to say of those who are willfully deaf that they do not care about objections and polls they choose to discount.