Poll: Obama, Republicans would be equally responsible for a shutdown

A new national poll shows the public would hold congressional Republicans and President Obama equally responsible if legislators are unable to strike a deal to fund the federal government past March 27.

The survey from CNN and ORC shows that 38 percent would blame President Obama for a government shutdown, while 40 percent would point the finger at congressional Republicans. An additional 19 percent would split the blame equally between both.

Legislators are working this week on a continuing resolution to avert a shutdown, with the Senate likely completing debate Wednesday afternoon. The House Appropriations Committee is expected to follow shortly thereafter.

There's significant incentive for lawmakers to strike a deal. Of those surveyed, 64 percent said shutting the government down for even a few days would be a bad thing for the country. If the standoff were to continue for weeks, 78 percent say they would consider it a bad thing.

"But the difference this time is that President Obama seems much less likely to win the blame game if a shutdown occurs," said CNN Polling Director Keating Holland in a statement. "In 2011, nearly half were ready to blame the GOP if a shutdown occurred, compared to only a third who would have blamed Obama."

Still, President Obama remains more personally popular than Republican leaders. Just a third of Americans approve of House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell holds just a 24 percent favorability rating. By contrast, 47 percent approve of the president.

Still, the overall sentiment tilts decisively toward dissatisfaction with lawmakers in Washington. Only a quarter of those surveyed said they were happy with the way the country was being governed, while 74 percent said they were dissatisfied.

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