Poll: 40% say worst gridlock ever
By JENNIFER EPSTEIN | 7/18/11 3:37 PM EDT
Washington is locked in the worst gridlock they’ve seen in their lifetimes, four in 10 Americans say as they voice dissatisfaction with how President Barack Obama and members of Congress are handling the country’s problems.
More than two-thirds of those surveyed for a USA Today/Gallup poll released Monday say that members of Congress of both parties are putting their own interests ahead of the country’s, while they’re evenly divided on whether the president is more driven by his own interests or the country’s.
The president’s overall approval rating in the poll is 45 percent in the poll, which gives him higher standing than congressional Democrats or Republicans. Thirty-three percent of Americans say they approve of Democrats in Congress, while 28 percent say they approve of Republicans.
With approval ratings low, Americans are unsure of whether congressional Republicans and the president will be able to reach a deal, with 49 percent saying there will be a deal, while 47 percent say there won’t be one.
Two-thirds of Americans say they would like to see a compromise, even if it means that members of Congress or the president need to support ideas they don’t like,
while 27 percent say they should hold out for what they want, even if that means reaching August 2 without a deal.
The poll was conducted July 15-17 and surveyed 1,016 adults. The error margin is plus or minus four percentage points.
Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0711/59288.html#ixzz1SXbG8IAm
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