Sometimes polls state the obvious. Sometimes they surprise. The latest NBC News-Wall Street Journal and Gallup polls, which landed in the middle of the government shutdown late last week, did both.
Everyone knew that the shutdown and threats of a government default would damage the political standing of all parties in the Washington drama. That was obvious. What was surprising was the amount of damage that was done in so short a time — and especially to the Republican Party, whose tactical mistakes led to the shutdown, soon to enter its third week. …
The surveys point to the fact that many Americans look at Washington and see a political class insulated from the impact of either the shutdown or the economy’s weaknesses — a group more concerned with political gamesmanship than the well-being of working families. [cont.]
Dan Balz, Washington Post