Republicans Blamed For Gridlock In Congress
If a new CBS/New York Times poll is any indication, President Obama may be on the right track in running against a “do nothing Congress” in the General Election:
The public is not assigning blame equally between President Obama and Republicans in Congress for the partisan gridlock over key legislation.
In the latest New York Times/CBS News poll, 60 percent say Mr. Obama is attempting to work with Congressional Republicans to try to accomplish something; 27 percent say Republicans in Congress are making the same effort to work things out with the president.
There is strong public support for politicians to start cooperating. At least 80 percent – regardless of party identification – say Republicans and Democrats should compromise some of their positions in order to get things done.
Majorities of Democrats and independents say Mr. Obama is trying to work with the Republicans and only a third of Republicans agree. But nearly half of the Republicans surveyed do agree with Democrats and independents on one thing: Congressional Republicans are not working with the president to make progress on the legislative agenda.
This isn’t exactly a revelation, of course. Poll after poll for years now has shown that the general public wants Congress and the President to work together regardless of partisan concerns. Republicans would do well to take these polls to heart.
Republicans are so set on denying President Obama any kind of political victory that I doubt they’ll begin to cooperate and negotiate with him and the Democrats any time soon. They’re mantra seems to be “if Obama supports it, it must be bad.”
@Fiona:
Which is why I want Obama to issue a proclamation declaring “Hurray for Breathing Day.”
Really? Why? Republicans in safe districts have no incentive to give the slightest f*ck what happens to this country, since their voters are too gullible to ever vote for another party, and their party is heavily invested in never changing. Even in toss-up districts, incumbent Repubs seem to be doubling-down on the idea that if they can discredit Obama and disenfranchise everyone else it will somehow translate to them looking good enough to keep their jobs…
CBS and the NYT still are in business?? That’s got to be a misprint.
In any event, there’s little doubt it’s a good strategy for Obama to run against the Congress. The vast majority of people out there in Zombieland don’t know even the basic differences between the House and the Senate, and even a larger percentage couldn’t tell Harry Reid from Harry Reems.
Obama’s playing to the lowest common denominator and in this day and age that’s always a good move. Besides, there’s only so much mileage Obama can get out of wasting bin Laden, et al. The economy and jobs always trump commando raids and Hellfire missile strikes. By making Congress the de facto opponent Obama might be able to garner some real distance from the disastrous housing and job markets.
Axelrod is a smart guy. Obama’s a good front man. There are a lot of useful idiots out there on Brain Drain Street. Romney definitely will have his work cut out for him. Right now I’d rate Obama as a -150 favorite and Romney as a + 250 underdog.
@Tsar Nicholas:
This trope is lame and getting old, old,old.
Doug,
“Republicans Blamed For Gridlock In Congress”
What’s your next post, “Wtaer is Wet”? “The Sun Rises in the East”? There’s a reason they are blamed for gridlock — they are doing their best to create gridlock.
They would oppose it.
If Obama conceded everything to them – if he decided to propose and support the complete agenda of conservative Republicans, they still would oppose it.
It is not the issues they care about, but rather the power. They want to defeat him and win power for themselves. That is even more important (far more important, actually) than tax cuts.
27 percent say Republicans in Congress are making the same effort to work things out with the president.
27 percent! It always comes down to the 27% Crazification Factor.
I’m sorry- as stated above, the questions are leading. Yeah, the Republicans are not working with President Obama to get his agenda done- but were people asked whether President Obama was working with the Republicans to get their agenda done? I don’t see that question- why not? Isn’t Congress supposed to be coming up with the laws of our nation and the President just executing them in an able manner? Or did I blink and suddenly we now have a king?
@A Conservative Teacher:
Are you the biggest idiot ever? From TFA:
IT’S IN THE SECOND GRAF!
Gee, we can’t even get the Senate to write a budget as required by law. We should dock their pay.
What’s worse is that many Senators have no idea why there hasn’t been a budget in the last two rounds. In a interview, West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin said he has no idea why the Senate missed the required deadline of April 15th to produce a budget.
The House passed a budget by April 15th last year, but the year before the House, under the outstanding leadership of Nancy Pelosi, manage only to “deem” a budget pass, and that was 10 weeks late.