Maybe the midterm elections weren’t such a referendum on the President after all.
According to a CNN poll released Wednesday, 56% of Americans approve of President Obama’s job performance during the lame duck session — 14 points higher than the 42% approval rating for Congressional Republicans over the same period. Even the Democratic Party, which just one month ago suffered enormous midterm losses, polled slightly higher than the GOP, with 44% of Americans approving of their job performance in the lame duck session.
Respondents also said they believe Obama’s policies rather than those of the GOP would move the country in the right direction. Fifty-five percent of respondents said Obama’s proposals would move the country in the right direction, while 42% said they would do the opposite. By contrast, 51% said the Republicans’ policies would be good for the U.S., versus 44% who said they would be bad for the country.
What’s more, the poll also found that voters overwhelmingly think Republicans — more so than Democrats or Obama — need to be more open to compromise.
Fifty-nine percent of respondents said Obama was doing enough to work with Repubicans, versus 37% who said he was not doing enough. But only 28% said Republicans were doing enough to cooperate with the president, while 68% said they were not doing enough.
Focusing on the two major parties in general, the poll asked:
Do you think the Democratic party or the Republican party is more responsible for the lack of cooperation between the two parties in Washington?
More respondents blamed the Republican Party — by an 18 point margin, 46% to 28%.
That all seems to suggest that Republicans didn’t do themselves any favors during the lame duck session. They filibustered Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell repeal, the START treaty, and a bill providing health care to 9/11 first responders.
CNN interviewed 1,008 adults nationwide December 17-19. The poll has a margin of error of 3.0%
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