One interesting point: No matter what the President offers the GOP, and no matter how much it infuriates us, the public always thinks he's not doing enough to reach across the aisle. I'm not sure why. Clearly it's not the substance - the President has already offered too much. But we've seen this before. Polling doesn't match reality. That's usually because the GOP does a good job of distorting reality. Of course, in this poll, the GOP fares even worse than Obama on pretty much every indicator. but more generally it does suggest that reaching across the aisle isn't enough - somehow the President needs to PROVE his case, not just always rely on substance.
Majorities of Americans see both President Obama and congressional Republicans as not willing enough to compromise in their budget negotiations, but the public views the GOP leaders as particularly intransigent, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.
There is also growing dissatisfaction among Republicans with the hard-line stance of their congressional representatives: Fifty-eight percent say their leaders are not doing enough to strike a deal, up from 42 percent in March.
While Republicans in Congress have remained united in their opposition to any tax increases, the poll finds GOP majorities favoring some of the specific changes advocated by the president, including higher income tax rates for the wealthiest Americans.
There is also broad dissatisfaction with Obama’s unwillingness to reach across the aisle: Nearly six in 10 of those polled say the president has not been open enough to compromise. Among independents, 79 percent say Republicans aren’t willing enough to make a deal, while 62 percent say the same of Obama.
