Unwanted cuts

While I'm never a fan of highlighting polls and analysis which wrongly perpetuate the view of Canadian politics as a Lib-Con dichotomy, it's worth pointing out one of the results of Innovative Research's online poll testing the views of Lib and Con supporters:

On taxes, 16 per cent nationally say they should be cut "even if it means reduced social programs." Almost three out of 10 core Tory respondents (28 per cent) agreed with that notion, while just six per cent of Liberals shared that sentiment.

The article tries to paint the question as one showing a difference between Lib and Con supporters. But the more significant part of the results is the fact that even among the Cons' supporters, the vast majority of respondents don't have the slightest interest in cutting social programs for the sake of reducing taxes.

Of course, Jim Flaherty and others making budget decisions seem to be among the relative anti-government extremists even within the Cons. But the poll suggests that even a good number of those currently supporting the Cons don't see slashing programs in order to cut taxes as a reasonable tradeoff - meaning that the current strategy of arbitrary eliminating government is not only likely to alienate moderate voters, but may even harm any attempt at narrowcasting by serving as a source of discontent within the Cons' base.

Which can only lead to the question of whether the Cons will learn from the results and offer up a budget with slightly less of a Grover Norquist influence...or instead continue to navigate a path that even their base doesn't support.