Excitement and smiles all around amongst our Fox & Friends on the right:
But will the thrill wear off? Well, according to
the latest national poll from Quinnipiac, the answer is yes ... or at least it would be yes if it were possible for external influences to permeate the Republican consciousness:
American voters oppose 72 - 22 percent Congress shutting down the federal government to block implementation of the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, according to a Quinnipiac University national poll released today.
According to the survey, even Republicans opposed the shutdown, albeit by a relatively narrow 49-44 margin, but among everyone else opposition is overwhelming: 90-6 among among Democrats and 74-19 among independents.
Congressional Democrats don't have good numbers, with a net approval rating of -28 points (yes, that's a minus sign). But Congressional Republicans are even less popular, and dramatically so: They're net approval rating is -57 points, a stunningly low number. Given that elections are choices, that gap is meaningful, and according to the poll, it will translate at the ballot box:
Looking at the 2014 Congressional races, voters pick a generic Democrat over a generic Republican candidate 43 - 34 percent, the widest Democratic margin measured so far.
The election is more than a year away, but when you combine those numbers with the fact that (a) people overwhelmingly disapprove of the GOP's tactics and (b) that the poll was taken before the shutdown actually took place, those Republican smiles we're seeing today really ought be turned upside down.
Sign our petition thanking President Obama for refusing to negotiate with Republicans over the full faith and credit of the United States, and urging him to stay strong.