A new CNN poll confirms what we've already suspected from the election, that a majority of Americans agree with our Democratic approach to our budget problems and think that the Republicans have become too extreme, as reported in, CNN Poll: Are GOP policies too extreme?
According to the survey, 53% say the GOP should compromise more, with 41% saying the Democratic Party should give up more of the proposals it supports to develop bipartisan solutions. ... "That's due in part to the fact that the Republican brand is not doing all that well," says CNN Polling Director Keating Holland.
Fifty-three percent of those surveyed say they view the policies of the GOP as too extreme, up 17 points from two years ago. Only 37% say they view the polices of the Democratic Party as too extreme.
It probably doesn't help that House Speaker John Boehner, who's leading GOP fiscal cliff negotiations with the president, is held in fairly low regard, particularly in comparison to Obama. According to the poll, 34% of the public approves of how the top Republican in the House handling his job. By contrast, the president's approval rating stands at 52%.
Holland said nearly half of respondents have more confidence in President Obama, and 48% would blame the GOP if the fiscal cliff negotiations fail.
Only 37% said they would blame President Obama more than the Republicans, and 11% said they would blame both sides equally.
Seven in ten of poll respondents think that not solving the "fiscal cliff" problems will cause "major problems for the country if not solved.
One inconsistent and troubling finding is that most Americans say "it's good for the country that the GOP controls the House," indicating we need to work on our trust issues with the public.
This was a relatively small poll of 620 adults, taken between December 17-18, with a margin of error of 4%.