(Updated 12:05 p.m. ET)
(CNN) - A majority of Americans disapprove of the deal struck Sunday by President Barack Obama and congressional leaders that will raise the country's legal borrowing limit, and three out of four believe elected officials have acted like "spoiled children."
According to a CNN/ORC International poll conducted Monday during a House of Representatives vote on the legislation, 52 percent of Americans say they are opposed to the debt ceiling deal while 44 percent are in favor of it. The Senate passed the legislation Tuesday in a 74-26 vote.
"Everyone disapproves of some part of the debt ceiling compromise," CNN Polling Director Keating Holland said. "Republicans dislike the increase in the debt ceiling through 2013, Democrats dislike the lack of tax increases on businesses and higher-income Americans, and independents dislike both of those provisions."
The spending cuts in the agreement were the only popular part of the bill, winning support from two-thirds of the public.
Seventy-seven percent of respondents said elected officials who have dealt with the debt ceiling have acted like spoiled children. Just 17 percent believe the politicians have acted like responsible adults.
So who won the debate over the debt ceiling?
"When three-quarters say that elected officials are behaving like spoiled children, it's probably safe to say that there are no winners," Holland said.
READ MORE: How They Voted
READ MORE: Debt Deal Cheat Sheet
The overall approval rating for Congress, now at 14 percent, is at an all-time low. Sixty-eight percent of respondents disapprove of how the Republican leaders in Congress handled the debt ceiling, 63 percent disapprove of Democratic leadership and 53 percent disapprove of President Obama's role in the agreement.
Obama's overall approval rating holds steady at 45 percent, but his support among liberals, at 71 percent, remains at a record low and more than half of all Democrats say he gave up too much in the debt ceiling deal. Just one-third of Republicans polled said their party's leaders gave up too much in the agreement.
The poll was conducted on Monday night, with interviews done both before and after the vote on the bill in the House of Representatives. "Some were unaffected by the House vote and none reflect the Senate's actions on Tuesday," Holland noted. "Final passage of the bill - particularly if it is by big margins - may affect public attitudes towards the debt ceiling agreement, since Americans tend to like a winner. The poll shows how Americans felt on Monday night, not how they will feel next November - or even next Monday, for that matter."
The CNN poll was conducted by ORC International on August 1, with 860 adult Americans were questioned by telephone. The survey's overall sampling error is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. The poll was conducted both before and after the House of Representatives vote on the issue on Monday night.
–CNN Polling Director Keating Holland and CNN's Jeff Simon contributed to this report
From CNN Politics
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Add me in with the 3/4 group. A little suprised it's not 100%.
The republicans sure looked like spoiled children or economic terorrists. Try this no compromise attitude at their homes and see how far it gets them at home.
"52 percent of Americans say they are opposed to the debt ceiling deal"
Haha...gloat and take all the credit you want, GOPers....you'll only be riling your base, self-righteous echo chamber circle-jerk fashion. But that's ok, right? The plan all along has been "if we're going down, we're taking Obama and the Dems with us"...hasn't it?
"A majority of Americans disapprove of the deal struck Sunday by President Barack Obama and congressional leaders that will raise the country’s legal borrowing limit."
A foretelling of the next Presidential election.
Folks in the House get every other week off, now they get 5 weeks of vacation. What are they being paid for? They do nothing - any of them. Sure, they dodged a crisis (self-created to give the appearance of "important stuff to get done".)
But guess what,,,,,,,,you will keep on electing these same children.
Only 70% believe that Congress acted liked spoiled children...I would have bet that number would be higher. The number that really matters is the 52% that didn't agree with the deal. Hopefully all of these people will remember these actions when the next election comes around. You can really tell the true leaders by how they react to a crisis. Unfortunately, our 'Elected Leaders' are too concerned about how many votes it would cost them to do the right thing. Oh well, I don't want to see how they react to the next crisis, so they have lost my vote...and hopefully yours.
President Obama ,if you have any shame at all after putting the screws to the American people and more than likely another term ,you VETO THIS BILL and Immediatley Institute your authority and GALL[Use the 14 amendment .Then let the house and senate spend the Summer coming up with legitimate Bills that will jelp instaed of hurt the American people.
Spoiled children is the wrong analogy. Irresponsible adults is more accurate. Is this the new norm where a government shutdown or the country's default must go down to the wire every time?
I think reality tv has some blame for this since these dramas are playing out again and again as it it were Snooki and a Housewife fighting for the last piece of cake all the while being watched by Big Brother in order to be the last Survivor.
If real leadership is determined by the content of a person's character, our leaders have turned into caricatures of themselves. They are not spoiled children but there is merit to taking away some of their toys – like health care, salary, food – let them live with the fear that other Americans do each day.
This was merely a symptom of a much larger problem: not only is Congress full of inept and avaricious leaders, America is full of inept and avaricious followers. We all need to be doing our part. For some that means getting off the enabling entitlement programs and getting a job. For others–Koch Brothers and their ilk– it means paying higher taxes.
"Seventy-seven percent of respondents said elected officials who have dealt with the debt ceiling have acted like spoiled children."
The other 23 per cent were asleep at the time and couldn't be reached for comment.
It's good to know three out of four people have a firm grasp of the obvious!
I agree. Its like they are high school children. One party are the jocks the other the geeks. The jocks are bullying the geeks the geeks whine but ultimatly give in. Its pathetic but we will vote these same people into office in 2012. We need moderate politicians who are not slaves to their party and can make choices based on the facts on hand not their parties talking points.
Only children would do nothing about revenue and expect the debt to get better. The Tea Party has proven they are unfit to govern with this bad legislation.
I fully realize that CNN's coverage was very one sided during all of this. How many times did I hear a CNN employee refer to the Tea Party has extremist? (And don't get me started on Don Lemon!) The truth, which is getting very little attention, is that I elected my Tea Party representative to stop all of the bipartisan spending. This isn't radical or extreme. To me, this is simply common sense. I am grateful that I finally have someone in congress who is doing EXACTLY what they said they would do. All of this name calling by CNN, Democrats, the White House and even some Republicans is completely uncalled for. The Tea Party is truly representing their constituents. It is very refreshing. I will certainly vote Tea Party in every election.
I don't think it is as much spoiled children as it is that they are like lazy dull students who always wait for the last minute to do their homework and expect to get passing grades. This budget crisis, or homework was assigned to them many months ago and they have been waiting until the last minute to resolve it. What a bunch of losers.
Shame on President Obama for not standing up to the selfish Tea Party.
The Democratic party has surrendered the best chance to restore taxes to realistic levels and thereby have the necessary tools to repair the damage caused by 8 years of President GW Bush policies.
The Democrats "compromise" reminds me of Richard Chamberlain's placation of Adolph Hilter.
Their kicking the can down the road will only make the inevitable that much harder.
I am a registered Democrat for 40 years and I have NEVER missed voting in ANY election. I have never before said the following to any elected democrat; I am disgusted with YOUR performance.
Let's face facts. The tax cuts for the rich were just too deep this time and started the deficit. We can't keep lowering taxes on the rich every time we get a Republican in the White House.
they are and its disturbing that they don't pay there share of taxes to help this goverment with its debit
It would be helpful if, from now on, members of the Tea Party Caucus be treated as a 3rd party distinct from and separate from members of the mainstream Republican Party. Arguably, the Tea Party contingent in the House and Senate are Libertarians who decided to run as Republicans given the poor success 3rd parties have in U.S. elections.
The media wants America to comply with the liberal cause
How did this happen? Just before the last elections I, just like most of you, started getting a lot emails saying the voters should impose term limits by voting out incumbents. If they have been in office more than two terms, vote them out. The majority of these in the house were democrats. The voters were angry at congress because the health care bill had just been passed. They were angry because the bill would force them to buy insurance instead of having a public option that would have given everyone free health care paid with taxes. They were angry because they only got half of what they wanted, not that the bill passed. IT WAS A SLICK REPUBLICAN TRICK. Congressmen who knew how to govern were kicked out and the nice looking men and women who said what we wanted to hear were voted in and they turned out to be the suicidal lunatics of the tea party. Moral of the story: Don’t trust new faces and vote democratic no matter how angry you are at congress.
"We will not negotiate with terrorists." -Ronald Reagan
Be careful what you vote for, you just might get it. Don't take any wooden nickels, conservative voters.
Yes the politicians are acting like spoiled babies – but basically it is the Tea Party elected folks who are being so bratty. Poor John Boehner is a powerless eunuch. Are there no statesmen anymore? What happened to compromise which has always been a foundation of making government work. I recently said we had 3 parties in the US – the Democrats, the Republicans and the "Throw the Bastard Out" – maybe that 3rd party will reward our current congress with their just reward come next election.
As a supporter of President Obama I'm disappointed in the way he gave into the right wing hostage takers. Cut, Cut Cut without raising revenue, hows that going to help create jobs, the trickle down theory hasn't worked yet what makes them think it will work this time. The big hit to the middle class is yet to come.
I would have to agree. They let this get down to the wire. And now our credit rating will suffer because of a few people that didnt want to compremise.
Well CNN you got this one right...
More than spoiled children, this played out like a very, very bad movie.....Grade D, if that.
But, this is not a movie. This is the real thing. People's lives are at stake. The Tea Party has totally transformed the Republican Party and the Speaker was afraid to make a move. I can just imagine what the next bout will be.
I can only hope that, for every member of Congress (but especially the GOP), this has been the worst summer of their lives. I hope their vacations have been ruined. I hope their spouses and children are foaming-at-the-mouth angry at them. I hope they have missed weddings, family barbecues and reunions, and other get-togethers. I hope they haven't played a single round of golf, spent a single day at the beach, or worn a pair of shorts or sandals or a tee-shirt all summer. I hope their air conditioning has been on the fritz and that they have been too damn busy to call anyone to come fix it. I hope they can't remember the last time they ate real food. I hope their personal lives have become one long, endless nightmare. No one ever, ever deserved it more. Please just go home for the rest of the summer before you break something else.
I am listening to CNN and am shocked at the poll that CNN ran asking about politicians in DC acting like "spoiled brats". What does the American voters think they were doing when they elected rebel disrespectful partisans to Congress? It's the American people that are acting like spoiled brats at the polls! Washington is just a reflection of their attitudes and yes it is shameful!
The 17% that think they were responsible adults are probablypoliticians. They same with the 14%. Who else could it be?
My comments probably won't be anything new, but I definitely think all of the politicians in Congress are acting lilke immature jerks who are more interested in granstanding for the press than in getting in and getting the job done. At this point, I DON'T CARE whose fault this whole fiasco is – we're paying these guys (ALL of them – on BOTH sides of the aisle) to fix it already, and fix it before it becomes an even worse problem.
That is what happens when you get so many freebies. I say they should be paid minimum wage, their personal assets frozen while they serve in office, and get healthcare like in a small corporation or business, not in the millions of federal workers. If they get paid like low to middle income people, and have to pay for haircuts, etc, then maybe they will act like adults. And stop thinking money grows on trees!!
The Republicans can get their way because if Obama doesnt like thier ideas the bill doesnt pass!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Psychology 101
Next election I will calmly vote out all incumbents.
Why is the American public so outraged at the antics in Washington? It is a direct reflection of the voters behavior at the polls!! You voted for them Amurica ... duh!
In what reality does one get out of debt by going further in?
The end of 2012 will be a defining moment. Meaning, the president can decide to raise the taxes by letting the Bush tax cuts expire. He can let them expire whether or not he gets reelectied.
It seems that many fell for the Tea Party trickery in that you're now blaming President Obama for this mess. I do wish people would wake up and see the light that the Repubs, by using the Tea Party (AKA Repubs) will do anything to take down this presidency. Yes, I agree the President should have insisted on revenue increases but, remember, he wanted a much bigger deal which included 4 Tril in cuts but the Repubs wouldn't go along with closing loopholes (which was in the Ryan Plan that they ALL voted for)...go figure! Whatever this President is for, they are against even if they were for it before. Sadly though it seems their plan is working as President Obama's ratings are declining...it's just so sad!!!!!!!!
Did they ask how many actually understood it? Who cares how many disapprove if they don't even know what it is. I suspect a lot of people were just reacting to the process rather than the actual plan. This "scoreboard" approach to everything is misleading and annoying.
gee!!! YA THINK??????????????????????
The Tea Party is the only one with a clue. These cuts are only a down payment on the real fix. We need to cut 10+ TRILLION over 10 years, not this puny 2.1, Come up with cuts over 10 TRILLION and I might be willing to talk about raising taxes to start paying down some of this debt. Until the borrowing stops, I'm not interested in paying even more taxes.
The Tea Party Is the worse thing that ever happen to America, that come the Republican. They talk about want to cuts spending but they are not really want to or they would have agree to rise Taxes. you can't get the deficit down by cuts a long. to get to a Balance budget you are going to have To rise taxes and fix the tax subsides. We you people really want to get a balance budget than you are going to have to talk about taxes In some way.
Out of the respondents of this poll, how many of them actually understand the deal well enough to approve or disapprove of it? Out of those who disapprove, how many can offer workable alternatives that are appealing to a wide variety of the population? Everyone is blaming the politicians, but they didn't get there by themselves. It's so easy to pass judgement on a topic we actually have no knowledge in. Everyone is busy looking out for themselves, and blaming everyone else. These polls are just another example.
Too bad so many liberals stayed home from the polls in 2010. We get the government we vote for (if we vote).
Remember that in 2012.
The 52% disagree with the deal, but for different reasons. That's what compromise looks like. If any significant political demographic loved the bill, then that demographic is either much more reasonable, or they got too much.
That 17% that act as a adults would be the tea party members. They are actually doing what their contituents asked them to do. Anyone who disagrees with this probably is upset with their representative.
We need term limits in Congress!
The House and Senate politicians have built empires around themselves and it’s become so difficult to get them out, we need new members that will work for our interests not their next campaign for office.
Shame on any elected Democrat for not standing up to the selfish Tea Party bullies.
The Democratic party has surrendered the best chance to restore taxes to realistic levels and thereby have the necessary tools to repair the damage caused by 8 years of President GW Bush policies.
The Democrats "compromise" reminds me of Richard Chamberlain's placation of Adolph Hitler.
President Obama, VETO this legislation and use your authority under the 14th amendment to raise the debt limit.
Their kicking the can down the road will only make the inevitable that much harder.
HEY! That's not nice – saying that spoiled children act as badly as our representatives!!!!
i'll take a spoiled brat over Boehner, et. al. any day!!!!
One solution is term limits. Politicians would stop acting as if getting re-elected was their priority if getting re-elected wasn't their priority. And we can make it be so. We don't need to wait for them to limit their terms. We don't have to keep re-electing representatives and senators for 30 years running. We don't have to re-elect them at all. Either become active in the process of selecting primary candidates in your state, vote for the opposition candidate, or write in a candidate. We've got to quit voting as if our only choice is a bad candidate in "our" party or nothing. If the most reasonable person running is in the party you don't generally vote for, go with reasonable instead of party. We can't expect elected representatives to put reason before party if we don't do it ourselves.
Clearly, if the poll was worth its salt, it should have asked which politicians acted irresponsibly. The answer would have come back in the 80 percentile range and congressional republicans would be to blame. I am disappointed the president failed to fight this group. Increasingly, it seems it doesn't matter who leads, we are all going down the creek without a paddle. Democrats have no fire in the belly and Republicans have no answers that don't involve tax breaks for the wealthy, more war spending and deregulation. Folks, if we don't take control of this mess (voting) we are doomed.
Hey Ralph, you should check your facts before you post. Richard Chamberlain was an actor, Neville Chamberlain got off the airplane holding the treaty with Herr Hitler! I do agree with you folks, these people in Washington have shown their true colours. They are a bunch of rich whinny folks who held the American public hostage. They caused the problems with idiotic laws, relaxation of the safeguards put in place by Franklin Roosevelt to prevent the financial meltdown we have witnessed. When banks became insurance companies and insurance companies became banks it was the beginning of the end. When America stopped making real things, and became a society that doesn't produce anything but move paper it was the beginning of the end. Folks, America's time in the sun is at an end unless we get some leaders with balls to do the right thing, rather then what they think will get them reelected.
I would like to thank everyone who voted for the Teapartyers' in the last election. Thanks for screwing middle class, working class Americans( and Yes, I am a veteran). the Teaparty contingent in Congress has done more harm to our country in eight months than has been done at any time since the Civil War. Way to go American voters! you wanted change, you got it!
What do expect, they are just a reflection of our society in general. If you don't get your way, act like an !@#!!!
They are all spoiled children that want more. Problem is that we have enabled them.
I am not a parent, but know enough of them to know that if you keep spoiling children, they become really worthless and will want everything done for them.
Perfect description of Washington in my opinion. Both sides, from the top on down.
If the president of the USA has to be limited to 2 terms, why shouldn't it follow that they Congress should be limited also?
If Congress wants to save money, why not cut their salaries, perks etc? Think of the money we could save. Make them have the same Medicare as Seniors instead of what they have. In other words, let them survive on what the people have.
If the American people are so upset, remember in the next election and vote the bums out.
count me in with those who are surprised that only three-fourths of us think congress acted poorly – like a bunch of spoiled bullies who would not budge one bit for their own personal, ideological reasons, not for the good of the american people; shameful; we will get our revenge at the ballot box and these newcomers will be long gone from d.c.