If the federal government shuts down starting Tuesday because of a bitter partisan battle over the new health care law, more people say congressional Republicans rather than President Barack Obama would be responsible, according to a new national survey. A CNN/ORC International poll released Monday morning, hours before funding for […] Read more »
Just one in four approve of Republicans handling of government shutdown standoff
On the eve of a government shutdown, Americans disapprove of all players in Washington’s latest budget standoff in a new Washington Post-ABC News poll, although they save particular ire for Republicans’ handling of the fight to fund the government beyond midnight. [cont.] Scott Clement, Washington Post Read more »
Disapproval on Budget Debate Puts the GOP at Greater Risk
A new ABC News/Washington Post poll finds the Republicans in Congress at greater risk of political damage in a government shutdown: Sixty-three percent of Americans disapprove of their handling of the budget debate, 13 points worse than Barack Obama’s rating on the issue. Neither side gets remotely positive scores, indicating […] Read more »
Republicans and Democrats are treating the 2012 election like a mandate. They’re both wrong.
… Elections don’t convey policy mandates because most voters don’t vote on policy. Instead, they vote based on longstanding loyalties to one party or the other. As political scientist Gabriel Lenz shows, rather than using policy to choose a candidate, voters more often choose the candidate first, and then mold […] Read more »
Obama pollster: On debt limit, GOP is delusional
A new Bloomberg poll finds that Americans think spending cuts should be attached to a debt ceiling hike by 61-28. This is being widely portrayed as proof the public sides with Republicans on the debt limit. … “They’re deluding themselves,” [Joel] Benenson told me, referring to Republicans. “They were held […] Read more »
No, people don’t understand the budget. But the polls still matter — a lot.
… The fact is that, if we disqualified any poll in which the American people didn’t have a full (or even passing) understanding of the topic, the vast majority of polls would be rendered moot. Whether it’s the budget, the debt limit, or anything else that Congress is doing (including President […] Read more »