CNN Poll: Majority say neither party's policies good for country
Washington (CNN) - A new national survey suggests there are no winners in the public's eye when it comes to the constant wrangling between Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill.
A CNN/ORC International Poll released Tuesday indicates that 56 percent of Americans say the congressional Republicans' policies will move the country in the wrong direction, with 53 percent of the public saying the same about policies of the Democrats in Congress.
See full results (PDF)
"Men and women agree that the GOP policies are a bust, but women are split on the Democratic policies while men continue to dislike them. There is a generation gap as well, with younger Americans tending to favor the Democrats' policies and older Americans more in the GOP camp," says CNN Polling Director Keating Holland.
The survey was conducted Friday through Sunday, during the congressional standoff between Democrats and Republicans over disaster relief funding threatened to possibly force a federal government shutdown. An agreement preventing a government shutdown was reached late Monday night.
According to the poll, a majority of Americans don't like either the Republican Party or the Democratic Party and the favorable ratings for the tea party movement are even lower.
"The Republican brand took a hit after the debt ceiling debate this summer, with the party's favorable ratings dropping eight points. Now, although the GOP still lags behind the Democrats, it has regained most of its strength," adds Holland.
Not so the tea party movement, which has seen its numbers steadily drop - from a 37 percent favorable rating in July to 31 percent in August and just 28 percent now. The poll indicates that 53 percent of all Americans have an unfavorable view of the tea party, an all-time high.
Favorable ratings for House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, the top two Republicans in Congress, have also started to tick up after losses in the wake of the debt ceiling debate.
The CNN poll was conducted by ORC International from September 23-25, with 1,010 adult Americans questioned by telephone. The survey's overall sampling error is plus or minus three percentage points.
- CNN Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
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Obama 2012!!
"Throw BOTH parties out of office and let's some people in who care about EVERYONE in America."
So they can be bought too?
There is one fix to these problems and ONE FIX ONLY: GET BUSINESS OUT OF THE WAY OF GOVERNANCE.
The teaparty is not for the working man. Bill clinton tried pay as you go the repubiclans laughed at him.teaparty is just a bunch of corporate junkies look at wisconsin, indiana,michigan,trying to take away workers rights to organize. This is what the real teaparty is all about. Rand pauls camp stomping a female peaceful protesters head because she disagreed with their views, its like the house now, its my way or the highway, I say F the teaparty before they F you
Rudy,
The reason you can dislike both is that both policies, spending cuts and tax increases, are anti-recovery and anti-job growth. "Let me wreck the economy!", No, let us wreck the economy our way!" Re-elect NoOne.
National pride is a foreign concept to liberals.
Rudy NYC...not really, if you have two parties you have two options who is to say that what is best for the country is only in those two options?
Another skewed survey from the Communist News Network..note the percentage of favorable opinions of the Dem Parry and the unfavorable opinion of the Republican Party. The country is nearly 50/50 yet these results still show that CNN is only propagandizing for the Dems. Hey and why are you asking about Republican Sen. McConnell and not Democrat Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid???? This only serves as more propaganda.
stupid americans!
By next year this time, being associated with the Tea Party will be just as toxic as being associated with George W. Bush in 2008. It would appear that people have taken notice that the economy has stopped growing with the Tea Party having any say in Congress.
Cmon CNNl start polling based on political affiliation rather than skewing for Dems favor. THen we'll see what the real results are, instead of this propaganda. When you have double-digit percentage respondents that Biden is unknown, then the rest of your poll is bogus.
This poll is just stating the oibvious , I am an older , retired citizen and I do not agree with this new republican party at all, instead of freedom , seems to me they want everything their way and act like spoiled brats. On the other hand the Dems use to tend to spend to much but Reagan, and Buish both spent like drunken sailors and Clinton balanced the budget., so go figure...Poor Obama inherited Bush's mess.and instead of doing anything his first two years , he tried to be everyones friend. At least he is now getting tough but he is working with a do nothing congress. I think he finally realizes what he is dealing with so is withdrawing the olive branch and is now mad as heck , thank God! We need leadership not this do nothing bunch in congress and pitiful candidates for the GOP nomination ,,,,just plan scary , only one that has a brain is Huntsman but he cannot make this tea party happy so they give us the like of Bachmann and Perry!!! Think I will stick with the "now I am mad as hell" Obama.
We can start all the CUTTING
AFTER the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are paid off. They were not paid for.
Set priorities. Pay off the wars with a war tax on the people that got the tax cuts in 2001 and 2003. Raise taxes 1 or 2% on everyone - ALL INCOME - NO MAXIMUM, NO MIMINUM.
While EVERYBODY agrees that something MUST be done to curtail deficits and lower the ratio of debt to GDP. ALL rational people also agree that you don't undertake massive spending cuts in the middle of a a recession or a near-collapse slight expansion, unless your goal is to sink the economy. Then, ask yourself WHO is asking for those massive spending cuts and you should know who is MOSTLY responsible for the current situation. The new 'political correctness' of blaming equally both parties just does not cut it.
BR most of these people Dont have the common scince god gave a p - ant, they believe that all you have to do is print money and its worth something,if you max out a credit card you just get a new one, and when you get in a real bind, you just declare bankruptcy and start over! they dont understand that Harry Reed has blocked every effort to get this Country back on track, Compromise, I should say NOT, thats what got us into this mess, The Teae Party that is made up of 50% Independants 30% Repub and 20% Dems are trying to change that, and WE will
With neither party's policies being seen as good for the country, is there a viable candidate for President in 2012? Is the president still viable? Come discuss solutions to political problems on a platform built for interactions on politics: http://www.votocracy.com/poll
Choosing between the two I pick the Democrats. Definitely the lesser of the two evils. Both are guilty of running up the debt but blaming the deficit on the current Democat administration while ignoring the fact the previous GOP administration took a huge surplus can turned it into the largest debt (at the time) in US history is just one indication of the party's overinflated self-image and a big reason most Americans thnnk the policies are bad. GOP needs to stop bulling and learn what the word compromise means while the Democrats need to stand up the bullies and develop some muscles. . .
Both parties have driven up the dept, Bush drove it up worse than anyone before him, but then Obama added as much as all the previous presidents had done with just the health care BS.
We can argue about the parties all we want. The truth is that both parties are heavily influenced by corporate America. THEY are our true leaders, not our elected officials. It's all just a puppet show.
Who are the mythical "job creators"? If they exist, why haven't they created jobs since December, 2010 when the Bush Tax Cuts were extended, nine months ago? Zero jobs by them!!!!! Boehner said they would create jobs!!!!!
When a poll such as this is taken, the last standard question should be, "Did you vote?" Anyone that doesn't vote doesn't have an opinion that's valid! I vote every time and I can't tolerate those who don't. They've no right to play in the game. Sadly, this is the reason we have such boneheads that put the party over the country.
Typically American responses, change back now to the people that gave us this fiasco in the first place!
We can’t even work with the President long enough to instigate positive change for the long term.
Just Fix It Now mentality, even if that means making the same mistakes all over again with some other Bush clone..
When will we ever learn? Big problems take thought and time to fix.
These polls are so effen bad. First have any of you ever taken a poll or known anyone who has? I havent or even had the chance. The only poll that really matters is the one in November 2012.
@BR if you are irriated at other viewpoints it is called freedom of speech. We still have responsible Americans but our children and grandchildren will have to work hard like we have. Don't forget we are paying for 2 wars that were not funded and natural disasters that we did not plan. Unexpected things happen in life get over it.
The fact still remains that most Americans are 'low-informed' when it comes to politics.How else could you not know that the Republican party has no solutions to our current Economic problems? They have refused to budge, and the party that can't do anything outside of the so called Tea partiers, whose agenda is solely to cater to the rich and religious fanatics.
@ RUTH NYC: It's not a flaw in the poll or the result of nonsensical replies. Without having seen the entire poll, I'm guessing one question asked if you thought that Congressional Republican policies were moving the country in the right direction while another asked if you thought that Congressional Democratic policies were moving the country in the right direction. Just because someone disagrees with the policies of one party, it doesn't necessitate that they fully agree with those of another.
@ BR: I haven't met a single person who doesn't agree that this country needs to be more fiscally responsible. The problem is, that's just a talking point for them. Fiscal responsibility would include spending cuts AND increases in revenues. Cutting spending and decreasing revenues just keeps you at the same place and you never make any headway toward lowering the national debt. Once you get past that rhetoric, all you have left are a bunch of the same politicians as always, pushing backwards extreme social conservatism on the back of the same old "Christian Nation" lie that the Republicans have been shoving for the last few decades.