Lame-duck Congress ignoring voter sentiment?

WASHINGTON - Republicans say they will follow "the people's priorities" when they gain power on Capitol Hill next month. Yet when it came to tax cuts for the wealthy and other top issues that dominated the just concluded lame-duck Congress, the GOP either defied what most Americans want or followed their will only after grudging, drawn-out battles.

Relentlessly focused on the next election, politicians are usually loath to act against voter sentiment. Still, the post-election weeks saw battles in which Washington seemed oblivious to the direction most people wanted lawmakers to take, as measured by recent public opinion polls. These included:

Congress' approval of a compromise between President Barack Obama and congressional GOP leaders renewing expiring tax cuts for everyone, despite broad public opposition to including people earning over $250,000. An Associated Press-CNBC Poll in late last month found 34 percent wanted taxes cut for the wealthiest.

Democrats' struggle before Congress repealed the prohibition against gays serving openly in the military. An ABC News-Washington Post poll this month showed 77 percent favored ending the ban, consistent with other polls, and a Pentagon survey of service personnel found 7 in 10 supporting the move or saying it wouldn't hurt.

The failure of Democrats to approve the Dream Act, which would have helped many young illegal immigrants become citizens if they attend college or join the military. A Gallup Poll this month found 54 percent support for the measure.

Roadblocks the administration faced before ultimately persuading the Senate to ratify a new nuclear treaty with Russia, even as an AP-GfK poll last month showed 67 percent backing approval of the START pact.

On each, Republicans led the effort to oppose policies that most people support, though Obama and many Democrats agreed to a tax-cut compromise. The GOP's stance was striking for a party that spent much of the 2010 congressional campaign accusing Democrats of ignoring the public's will, a sentiment echoed by Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio), expected to be the next House speaker. "The president's agenda may be the agenda of Washington, but beginning Jan. 5 the agenda of this House will be the agenda of the American people," Boehner said.

On some of the final issues, Obama and Congress listened to what most people want. In a token move that would have little budget impact, Obama proposed freezing federal workers' salaries - a popular plan - and Congress quickly agreed.

But "even though there is support for START and repeal of 'don't ask, don't tell,' these are not primary core issues for voters, and there's little harm that could come to them by opposing those two," said Republican consultant Steve Lombardo.