A majority of people are against the handling of the debt crisis on the part of every party, but the vast majority disapprove of the way the Republicans are handling the issue than anyone else a CBS News poll finds.
| Approve | Disapprove | |
| President Obama | 43% | 48% |
| Democrats in Congress | 31% | 58% |
| Republicans in Congress | 21% | 71% |
This really comes as no surprise given the melodramatic way GOP leaders like Eric Cantor have acted during the talks. On top of that, the GOP has constantly changed their goal posts. It’s becoming more and more obvious that the right is playing politics with this issue while ignoring the financial security of our nation.
So what will happen if the negotiations fail and we don’t raise the debt limit? My guess is that the GOP will way dearly for it and the best way to make sure of that is for the Democrats to pounce on it. They don’t need to spin or stretch the truth. Just remind the American people of some simple facts:
- The GOP voted for the current budget this spring, knowing the budget impact and the need to raise the debt ceiling.
- The federal government grew under George W. Bush more than under any President in U.S. history.
- The GOP voted 18 times to raise the debt limit under George W. Bush without as much as batting an eye.
Three simple points to keep reminding the public about and the Democrats seal the deal on owning the conversation.
The time for this is now. We’ve got the 2012 elections around the corner and this poll is some really bad news for the right. If the Democrats can capitalize on this, then the Republicans will have a hard time convincing the public that they should be the party in power.