Poll: Americans split on shutdown blame game
Washington (CNN) - Americans are divided over whether President Barack Obama or congressional Republicans would shoulder more of the blame if there's a government shutdown later this week, according to a new national poll.
A Pew Research Center survey released Monday indicates that 39 percent of the public say Republicans in Congress would be more to blame for a shutdown of some government services and offices, with 36 percent saying the Obama administration, and 16 percent saying both sides would shoulder the blame.
The numbers are little changed from a Pew poll conducted in late February. A CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey conducted in early March indicated that 46 to 37 percent margin, Americans said the GOP in Congress would be more responsible than Obama for a government shutdown.
The poll's release comes four days before current funding for the government runs out. If there is no budget agreement between congressional lawmakers by Friday, some government programs and offices may shut down.
Fifty-six percent of people questioned in the Pew poll say they want federal lawmakers to be more willing to compromise, even if it means they pass a budget they disagree with, while only 36 percent say members of Congress should stand by their principles, even if it leads to a shutdown.
The survey indicates a partisan divide, with half of Republicans saying lawmakers should stand by their principles. Meanwhile 53 percent of independent voters and nearly seven in ten Democrats say lawmakers should compromise to prevent a shutdown.
The Pew Research Center poll was conducted March 30-April 3, with 1,507 adults nationwide questioned by telephone. The survey's overall sampling error is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
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The republicans offer no solutions, only rejections. They won't raise taxes and they won't outline how they plan to end the debt, they just say that they want to kill Obama's healthcare bill... well... what about the out 99% of the debt?
The military needs their budget slashed in half, as well as a lot of other programs, but you won't see that coming from the mouths of the self righteous hand of god republicans that think their way is the only way.
Oh, and at least the democratic leadership is leading us torward the end of these trillion+ dollar wars that the Republicans started.
All the dems know how to do is spend our hard earned money to buy votes for low lifes who refuse to work. I'm sick and tired of everthing being blamed on the Repubs. The cuts should have been made long ago. Grow up people... get a job asnd get a life. Stop mooching off the real Americans who want to work their way to prosperity instead of sitting around complaining about the Rich. Most of them earned it.
The demcorats only solutions for the debt is to spend more.
They're no more than a person stating they can't be broke because they still have checks.
Sorry but Obama isn't "leading" anything. He's not even a leader. Bush was much more of a leader than Obama ever will be.
"Oh, and at least the democratic leadership is leading us torward the end of these trillion+ dollar wars that the Republicans started." ummmmm...... CAN ANYONE say LIBYA ??
@California Conservative
Isn't that name itself an oxymoron? Bush lead us from a surplus to a deficit so if you call that leadership no wonder you chose the handle you did.
The GOP has the majority and is therefore the leadership in the house. It is their responsibility to get the job done. It's John Boehner's job to lead. Or is he too busy cheating on his wife?
We don't have a spending problem, we have a revenue problem. The GOBPbaggers refuse to address the damaging tax cuts for the filthy rich and massive subsidies for the already profitable oil companies.
What does President Obama have to do with this fight????? He put forth a budget for 2012 that BORROWS 1.6 TRILLION JUST FOR ONE YEAR !!!!! He is sitting on the sidelines (AS USUAL) waiting to see which way this is going. Its between the Republicans in the House who passed a spending bill and the Dems in the Senate who have not. Clearly the Dems in Congress and Obama want a shutdown for the simple but insane belief that it will help them politically. Imagine that.