According to a new Washington Post/Pew Research Center poll, a majority of Americans will blame the Republicans if negotiations ultimately fail.
via TPM
The latest Washington Post/Pew Research Center poll shows that 49 percent of Americans do not think an agreement will be reached before January 1, 2013, when self-imposed automatic spending cuts and tax hikes are slated to take effect if a deal is not produced.
But the poll also shows that 53 percent believe that the congressional GOP will be more blameworthy if an agreement isn't ironed out, while 27 percent believe Obama will be more to blame. Twelve percent said that both sides should share the blame equally.
This doesn't mean we should feel welcome to walk right off the cliff, but I do believe that public perception is just as important in this battle as actual policy is.
Republicans have done a better job in the past of managing public opinion than they have policy. It's up to Democrats now to be better at both for all our sakes.