Another national poll offers grim news for Republicans over shutdown

WASHINGTON, Oct. 22 (UPI) -- The budget battle that led to a partial U.S. government shutdown hit the Republican Party's image hard, a Washington Post-ABC News poll indicated.

Poll results released Tuesday indicated eight in 10 Americans said they disapprove of the shutdown, with two in three Republican or Republican-leaning independents voicing a negative view.

Other national polls released recently indicated the American public leveled blame on Republicans more than President Obama or Democrats.

Congressional Democrats weren't unscathed, results indicated. More than six in 10 respondents said they disapproved of how Democrats handled budget negotiations. Unfavorable ratings of the party rose to a record 49 percent.

Obama's overall ratings held steady with about half of all Americans saying they approve of the way he has handled his job and a nearly identical number expressing disapproval.

The Post-ABC survey results indicated 32 percent of the public saying they have a favorable opinion of the GOP and 63 percent said they have an unfavorable view. About 25 percent of the public said they had a favorable image of the Tea Party movement.

Fifty-three percent of respondents said Republicans were responsible for the impasse, 29 percent blame Obama and 15 percent fault both sides equally, results indicated.

Overall approval of Congress was 12 percent in the new survey, with 85 percent disapproving, the poll indicated, representing the most negative expression toward Congress in almost a quarter-century of Post-ABC polling.

Results are based on nationwide telephone surveys of 1,002 adults Thursday through Sunday. The margin of error is 3.5 percentage points.