Who would Indies blame for a government shutdown?

By a margin of 46 points (69-23) the American electorate opposes shutting down the government over Planned Parenthood's funding, according to a Quinnipiac poll released today. Republicans, too, oppose a shutdown by a 20-point margin (56–36 percent).

In terms of blame, there's the usual partisan split: 73 percent of Republicans would blame a shutdown on Obama and congressional Democrats, and 79 percent of Democrats would blame congressional Republicans. There is a statistically significant gap among Independents, however: 39 percent would blame Republicans, while 30 percent would blame Democrats. 

Soldier on, Ted Cruz, and keep peddling that snake oil.

 

Comments

[Peter G]

Indies trouble me. There are multiple classes of Indies. There are Indies for whom which neither party is extreme enough. And there are indies for whom deciding what to have in their morning Starbucks is an excruciatingly difficult decision. I have stood behind them in line. Then there appear to be a sub-group that lack the power to even decide if it is coffee that they want. Finally there appear to be a group subject to changes of mind that are actually informed but uncertain and are persuadable to change their party affiliation if one can find their hot buttons. And doubtless many Boolean overlaps. I have given up trying to parse them.

This poll nevertheless contains much important data that politicians ignore at their peril. Principally these would be the divides in support by age group and sex and ethnicity. And these do not argue well for Republican success if turnout is even half decent.

[shsavage]

Also, don't forget the ones who are really Republicans, but are too embarrassed to admit it any longer.

[Bob Puharic]

If the electorate were at all informed instead of delusional, the GOP would be polling in the low single digits. They'd be only that high because insane asylums still have landline phones.

[Turgidson]

Amazing. Those findings are roughly equivalent to a poll saying "when asked who was to blame for a one-car accident, 39% said the driver of the car, 30% said the light post the car struck."

Just amazing.