Republicans are pretty desperately trying to blame Democrats and even President Obama for their failure to lead on funding the government, but a new Washington Post-ABC News poll shows it’s not working. By a 20 point margin, Americans blame President Trump and Republicans rather than Democrats for the looming possible shutdown.
The Post broke down the numbers which point to a dangerous trend among independents, who drive the margin of blame against Republicans, “A 48 percent plurality says Trump and congressional Republicans are mainly responsible for the situation resulting from disagreements over immigration laws and border security, while 28 percent fault Democrats. A sizable 18 percent volunteer that both parties are equally responsible. Political independents drive the lopsided margin of blame, saying by 46 to 25 percent margin that Republicans and Trump are responsible for the situation.”
On Friday, OMB Director Mick Mulvaney tried to blame former President Obama for Trump’s failure to lead, saying he had “weaponized” government shutdowns, as a weird way for diverting attention from Trump’s refusal to cut a deal on DACA, which will shut down down the government.
Perhaps Republicans can take comfort in the fact that the poll, while released Friday, was conducted Monday to Thursday. But the facts aren’t supporting their attempts to blame Democrats, especially when they are in charge of the House, Senate, and White House and President Trump blamed former President Obama for not leading during the 2013 government shutdown.
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“The president is the leader, and he’s got to get everybody in a room and he’s got to lead,†Trump said on Fox and Friends in a call in 2013.
Trump continued, “In 25 years, in 50 years, 100 years from now, when … they talk about the government shutdown, they’re going to be talking about the president of the United States,†he added. “They’re not going to be talking who the head of the House was, the head of the Senate. … I really think the pressure is on the president.â€
It’s also not helping the Republican narrative of blaming Democrats that the White House and GOP officials reportedly canceled their meeting with Democratic Senate whip Dick Durbin:
Dick Durbin, Democratic whip in the Senate, said he was supposed to meet with White House and GOP officials on DACA but meeting got postponed indefinitely.
In other words, Democrats and Republicans are currently *not talking* on the main issue forcing a shutdown.
— Paul McLeod (@pdmcleod) January 19, 2018
Durbin also seemed very confident the Republicans don't have the votes in the Senate for their preferred one-month funding bill (as we all have been thinking)
— Paul McLeod (@pdmcleod) January 19, 2018
The legacy of stunning incompetence by this White House and Congressional Republicans is being cemented in the public’s mind, specifically among Independents.
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