Yes, I can honestly argue that the Democrats' position is much closer to the position of the middle. You acknowledge that a majority support both tax increases and spending cuts. That's what Democrats are offering.
Yes, a majority support some kind of tax increases. However at the same time, more people support equal to no tax increases than they do plans that are unequal in favor of Taxes or only rely on taxes.
Neither the primary Republican Plan (no tax increases) NOR the Democratic Plan (unequal application with immediete taxes and backloaded cuts) have majority approval nor do either one of them reach the fat middle that would like equal parts of both. However, of the two, the Republican plan has the same, if not larger support than the Democrats does. The poll I saw had 20% of the public okay with no tax incrases where as only 11% of the public agreed with an unequal format that leans more heavily on taxes or doing only taxes.
Both the Republican plan AND the Democrat plan are far out of the mainstream. Simply because the Democrats does include taxes doesn't make it any more mainstream than the Republicans. Neither plan touches the fat 32% middle that wants it equally between the two, and the Democrats plan absolutely doesn't go into the next 30% which wants primarily spending focus.
If anything, the Republicans could make a larger claim for being towards the middle of what people want since, if we place "equal tax and cuts) in the middle....there is a far larger group (50%) above that threshold than below (11%), meaning a far larger group leaning towards the Republican side on this, not the Democrat side.
However, the tax increases go into effect
immedietely, the spending cuts take place over a decades worth of time and are primarily back loaded. That is not "equal". If they were truly equal, or more in favor of cuts than taxes, then the 3 to 1 cut would be coming at hte same time as the taxes. Its not, because the Democrats solution is far more balanced to the tax side with it effecting people immedietely where as spending cuts are contingent upon mulitple congresses and presidents down the road keeping to that as Barack O'Snyder decided to do an Ablert Haynesworth type contract with the numbers and backloaded everything 10 years down the line.