Earlier this week, we saw a pair of post-shutdown polls, each of which showing Americans placed more blame on Republicans than Democrats for the government shutdown, and today we have a third:
The Associated Press-GfK survey, out Wednesday, affirms expectations by many in Washington — Republicans among them — that the GOP may end up taking the biggest hit in public opinion from the fiscal paralysis, just as that party did when much of the government closed 17 years ago. But the situation is fluid nine days into the shutdown and there's plenty of disdain to go around.
Overall, 62 percent mainly blamed Republicans for the shutdown. About half said Obama or the Democrats in Congress bear much responsibility.
63 percent of the public believes Republicans are not doing enough to negotiate compared with 52 percent who believe President Obama isn't doing enough. Sen. Ted Cruz, credited by many as being the driving force behind the GOP's shutdown strategy, is only known by half the public, but among those who do know him, twice as many view him unfavorably as favorably.