A new ABC News/Washington Post is putting more pressure on Republicans to surrender. The poll found that disapproval of the Republican handing of the crisis has reached a record high of 74%.
If last week’s finding that a record 70% of Americans disapproved of the Republican Party’s handing of the government shutdown/debt ceiling scared Republicans, this week’s numbers explain why Mitch McConnell is running to Harry Reid to make a deal. In two weeks, disapproval of the Republican handling of the situation has gone from 60%-74%. A whopping 54% strongly disapprove of the way Republicans are handling the government shutdown and the debt ceiling. Congressional Democrats have a 61% disapproval rating on the handling of the shutdown and debt ceiling, but they are in a much better position than the Republican colleagues.
The Republican Party’s plan to blame all of this on President Obama has failed miserably. It doesn’t matter how many times Republicans refer to “Obama’s shutdown.” The president’s polling remains virtually unchanged. Fifty percent disapproved of the president’s handling of the crisis last week. This week that number has risen three points to 53%. The American people are blaming all of Washington, but they are blaming Obama a whole lot less.
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What these numbers confirm is that last week’s bad polling for the GOP wasn’t a fluke. Ted Cruz is wrong. The polls aren’t skewed. Republicans are taking an absolute drubbing over the government shutdown. If the country defaults, the Republican Party could find itself with an approval rating in the single digits. Forty five percent of Republicans disapprove of the way that their own party is handling this, but that is nothing compared to the 71% of Independents who also disapprove.
The terms of surrender that Harry Reid is offering Mitch McConnell reflect the current political landscape. These poll numbers illustrate the fact that the tea party’s shutdown the government to defund the ACA gambit has been a complete disaster. Democrats are offering Republicans nothing, but a chance to make the bleeding stop, because that is exactly what they deserve.
The Republican Party is burning, and they have Ted Cruz and the tea party to thank for their demise.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
