Poll: Will Shutdown Help...Or Hurt...GOP?

From www.wsj.com ~ With Congress and the White House in marathon talks to try to avoid a government shutdown, Republican lawmakers are caught between the demands of their conservative base insisting they hold their ground on deep budget cuts and the wishes of political independents they will need in the 2012 election who are pressing for compromise, a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll finds.

Negotiations to avert a shutdown appeared to make progress Wednesday, though a nighttime meeting of congressional leaders and President Barack Obama ended with no agreement. Still, Mr. Obama emerged from the unusual session, held two days before the deadline of midnight Friday, and said the two sides were able to "narrow the issues.''

The poll of 1,000 adults, conducted March 31 to April 4, illustrated the conflicting messages from the public that underlie the gap between the two political parties as they struggle for a deal to fund the government for the rest of the fiscal year.

The poll showed Republicans, especially those aligned with the tea party, ready to fight for budget cuts. Sixty-eight percent of tea party supporters said Republican leaders should stick to their positions on the budget, even if that meant no consensus could be reached. Only 28% advised GOP leaders to compromise. Among all Republicans, 56% called for GOP lawmakers to stick to their positions, while 38% called for compromise.

Share |