Republican Approval Plummets
Proof is in the Polling: Republican Approval Plummets As They Ignore The Economy
The polls tell the tale. Republican approval ratings are plummeting as the American people see them ignoring the economy and wasting time with political stunts that have zero chance of passing. NBC's First Read summed it up: "The House GOP's first impression isn't on jobs".
As Republicans choose to spend the first days of the new Congress trying to re-open the donut hole and take away tax breaks from small businesses, two polls in the last 48 hours show that they are severely out of step with the American people.
* CBS News poll: "House Republicans may be focused on fulfilling their campaign promise to work to overturn the health care reform law, but a new CBS News/New York Times survey finds that a plurality of Americans prefer they focus instead on creating jobs. The poll finds 43 percent of Americans believe the most important thing for the new Congress to focus on is job creation - compared to just 18 percent who say the top priority should be health care...The Republican Party is seen favorably by 40 percent of Americans and unfavorably by 49 percent."
* NBC News poll: "Only 25% say the Republicans in Congress will bring the right kind of change (versus 42% who said that about the Dems in Jan. 2007, and 37% who said that about the GOP in Jan. 1995)... And then there's this: The GOP's fav/unfav has gone from a net positive in December (38%-37%) to a net negative now (34%-40%). 'I think this has been a pretty short Republican honeymoon,' McInturff says. Hart adds, 'I think the president has the benefit of the doubt, and the Republicans -- based on this data -- have the burden of proof.'"
Not exactly an auspicious start for Republicans. We hope they will take the hint, drop the political charade, and start working with the other side of the aisle to create jobs and build a prosperous middle class.