CNN Poll: Congressional GOP would shoulder brunt of shutdown blame

WASHINGTON, Sept. 30 (UPI) -- If the government shuts down due to acrimony over the healthcare law, congressional Republicans will be blamed more than President Obama, a CNN poll indicates.

The CNN/ORC International poll released Monday, just hours before funding for the government was to run out if nothing was done, also indicates that most Americans think Republicans in Congress are acting like spoiled children and divided on whether Obama is acting that way.

Results of the poll, conducted Friday through Sunday, indicate 46 percent of Americans would blame congressional Republicans for a government shutdown, with 36 percent saying the president would be more culpable and 13 percent blaming both.

Six in 10 people polled said they wanted Congress to approve a budget agreement to avoid a government shutdown, CNN said. If a shutdown does occur, most people say it would be a bad thing for the country.

Without a deal on a stopgap funding measure, the government would partially shut down beginning at 12:01 a.m. EDT Tuesday.

The CNN poll is similar to other nationwide polls indicating a plurality of Americans would blame Republicans if the government is forced into a shutdown.

Results are based on nationwide telephone surveys with 803 adults Friday through Sunday. The margin error is 3.5 percentage points.