Natalie Gonnella
With spending cuts urgently needed and government shutdown at stake, all eyes are on Washington this week as lawmakers return from recess to continue the ongoing debate over budget options.
In a new poll conducted by The Hill, should this week's efforts end in a political stalemate, "twenty-nine percent of likely voters would blame Democrats for a government shutdown, compared to 23 percent who would hold Republicans responsible." The survey also revealed that:
- "Republicans have a substantial edge among independents: Thirty-four percent would blame Democrats, while only 19 percent would blame the GOP."
- "A plurality of voters, 43 percent, would blame both Republicans and Democrats if the lights go out at midnight on March 5. Forty-five percent of respondents said neither party would benefit politically from a shutdown.
- Very few feel the outcome of a government shut down would have a positive impact on either party: "14 percent believed that Democrats would benefit, and 18 percent who said Republicans would."
- Nearly half of all Republicans think that neither party would benefit.
The results of The Hill's latest poll are an interesting reversal of how voters viewed the last government shutdown. During the political stagnation of 1995, voters blamed the GOP by a two-to-one margin.
The full analysis can be viewed here.
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