Taxes areanother issue where Washington does not appear to have its finger on the pulse of the country. Fifty-three percent of the general public ranked taxes as a “very important” issue, while 37 percent of elites said the same.
“The poll highlights in dramatic terms the stark contrasts between D.C. elites and the American people, as D.C. elites are far more isolated from the economic crisis and yet far more plugged into other issues,” said Mark Penn, CEO of Penn Schoen Berland and a veteran Democratic pollster.
D.C. elites also have dramatically different views of the tea party movement than the rest of the county.
Sixty-eight percent of Washington elites said the anti-tax tea party movement is a “fad” and that it will “go away soon.” Only 26 percent of the rest of the country agreed.
Meanwhile, only 11 percent of the Washington elites believe the tea party will “become a viable third party in American politics.” Twenty-four percent of the rest of the country said the same.
In addition, Washington elites have a much higher opinion of those in power than the general public.
Among the elites, Obama has a 66 percent favorability rating, while 34 percent view him unfavorably. Outside of Washington, only 48 percent of respondents view the president favorably, compared with 47 percent who view him unfavorably.
In prospective 2012 matchups, Obama never falls below 60 percent support among the D.C. elites. Yet among the general population, the president doesn’t win more than 48 percent support in any of the pairings.
via Poll: D.C. elites a world apart – Andy Barr – POLITICO.com.