Poll: Public Wants Debt Compromise

GOP losing ground in battle for public opinion
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 20, 2011 3:20 AM CDT
Updated Jul 20, 2011 3:51 AM CDT
Poll: Public Wants Debt Compromise
More than 75% of those polled considered Republican leaders too unwilling to compromise.   (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

As talks drag on, public opinion is shifting in favor of lifting the debt ceiling and against politicians who refuse to budge, according to two new polls. Some 38% of Americans now favor lifting the debt ceiling, a 10-point jump from a month ago, as opposed to 31% against, according to a Wall Street Journal/NBC poll. Almost 60% support President Obama's $4 trillion deficit-reduction plan.

Americans aren't impressed with either party's handling of the situation, but Republicans are coming off worse, according to a Washington Post poll. Almost 60% of those polled say President Obama—whose approval ratings are close to career lows—isn't doing enough to compromise, but more than 75% feel the same way about the GOP's leadership. A majority see the president as more committed than Republicans to defending the interests of the middle class and small businesses. (More debt ceiling stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X