I’ve had the idea for a post about this subject in my head since yesterday morning, but the New York Times release of this NYT/CBS poll about support for President Obama and disdain for Republican rejectionism has made push come to shove and I really need to write it now.
First, from the poll (the full pdf is here):
Americans are under no illusions that the country’s problems will be resolved quickly, but the poll suggested they would be particularly patient when it comes to the economy, with most saying it would be years before there was significant improvement.
A month into Mr. Obama’s term, with his first big accomplishments, setbacks and political battles behind him, more than three-quarters of Americans said they are optimistic about the next four years with him as president. Similar percentages said they think he is bringing real change to the way things are done in Washington and that they have confidence in his ability to make the right decisions about the economy.
The ratings for Mr. Obama at this stage of his presidency are similar to those given in the early months for Ronald Reagan, who was the last president to take office with the country looking to be led out of economic gloom.
But far more damning for Republicans, and absolutely no surprise to many people outside the Beltway:
As the president addresses Democrats and Republicans in Congress on Tuesday evening, he does so with a sense among most Americans that he is trying to make good on his pledge to bridge the partisan divide. About three-quarters of those polled, including 61 percent of Republicans, said Mr. Obama has been trying to work with Republicans. But only 3 in 10 Americans said Republicans are doing the same, with 63 percent saying that Republicans opposed the economic stimulus package primarily for political reasons rather and policy concerns.
About 8 in 10 Americans said Republicans should be working in a bipartisan way rather than holding fast to their policies, the poll found, with almost three-quarters of Republican respondents agreeing that bipartisanship was preferable.
[See also this post by Joe Gandelman from earlier today with Gallup poll results for Obama’s popularity.]
Slam the poll anyway you want, it’s not the first one to return results that send a similar message: Americans want relief, and results. And they do not see Republican rejectionism of all things stamped, connected to or otherwise affiliated with President Barack Obama as a means to either end.
Now, carry this down into the states, and into local politics, and into locales themselves. When it comes time for a state’s voters to select a U.S. senator or a member of congress, how many voters will believe that the best people for the jobs are the people who are telling us already – here and now – that they will say no, no, no to the administration’s desires? Just because those desires come from the administration? That they will sit and conference and get concessions – only to still vote no? That they will create ploys that look like stands on political principles, only to sell-out their state’s residents? Not to mention, we’re talking about candidates who, for the most part, are members of what already is the minority party in the Congress?
Continue reading at Writes Like She Talks.