Public Would Blame Everyone for Shutdown

If Democrats think a government shutdown might help them politically, they might want to think again: A new survey indicates that the public would blame both parties equally for the shutdown. In a Washington Post poll, 36% say they’d blame Republicans for the shutdown, while 35% say they’d blame the Obama administration. Another 17% said they’d blame both parties—even though that wasn’t one of the options pollsters offered.

Not surprisingly, Republicans mainly blamed Democrats, and vice versa. Independents were the least likely to have made up their minds, though those that had slightly leaned toward blaming Obama. The numbers represent a big change from 1995, when 46% said they’d blame Newt Gingrich’s caucus, and only 27% placed the blame on Bill Clinton. (More Barack Obama stories.)