Two New Polls, One By FOX News (!), Signal The Government Shutdown Albatross Hangs From Republican Necks.
Michael Matthew Bloomer, Tuesday, October 8, 2013.
Two poll dumps of bad news for some, and worse news for the worst of the worst, the Republican party. If they believed they were, as Ted Cruz maintained last Sunday, that Republicans are “winning the argument.”
1. Quinnipiac University Polling released its post-government shutdown poll last Tuesday. Here’s their summary:
AMERICAN VOTERS REJECT GOP SHUTDOWN STRATEGY 3-1,
QUINNIPIAC UNIVERSITY NATIONAL POLL FINDS;
DEMS UP 9 POINTS IN 2014 CONGRESSIONAL RACES
Released October 1, 2013.
American voters oppose 72 – 22 percent Congress shutting down the federal government to block implementation of the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, according to a Quinnipiac University national poll released today.
Voters also oppose 64 – 27 percent blocking an increase in the nation’s debt ceiling as a way to stop Obamacare, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University poll finds.
American voters are divided on Obamacare, with 45 percent in favor and 47 percent opposed, but they are opposed 58 – 34 percent to Congress cutting off funding for the health care law to stop its implementation.
Republicans support the federal government shutdown by a narrow 49 – 44 percent margin, but opposition is 90 – 6 percent among Democrats and 74 – 19 percent among independent voters.
President Barack Obama gets a negative 45 – 49 percent overall job approval rating, compared to his 46 – 48 percent score August 2.
American voters disapprove 74 – 17 percent of the job Republicans in Congress are doing, their lowest score ever, and disapprove 60 – 32 percent of the job Democrats are doing.
“Americans are certainly not in love with Obamacare, but they reject decisively the claim by Congressional Republicans that it is so bad that it’s worth closing down the government to stop it,” said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.
“President Barack Obama enters this standoff over the budget with an edge over Congressional Republicans in the voters’ eyes.”
For the full Quinnipiac polling report
2. Even a FOX News Poll, nearly always a haven for GOP legislators discloses mounting problems for the GOP and its Tea Party wing. Regarding the government shutdown, 42% of respondents blame ‘Republican leaders, such as John Boehner (25%)’ and ‘Tea Party Republicans, such as Ted Cruz (17%).’
Respondents seem to blame ‘leadership’ individuals and groups for much of the problem, with the GOP leadership getting 25% of the responsibility, ‘Democratic leaders, such as Harry Reid’ 8%, and President Obama 24%. That’s 57% distrusting the leadership skills and qualities of primarily ‘GOP & Democratic leadership,” most likely the most visible, Senators Reid & McConnell, and Speaker John Boehner, Eric Cantor, and perhaps Paul Ryan who has remained rather invisible since last November.
