Nearly 80 percent of Utahns want Democratic President Barack Obama and the new GOP-controlled Congress to compromise and solve some of the major issues facing the nation, a new UtahPolicy poll finds.
But if there is gridlock in Washington, D.C., then Utahns are split about evenly in whom to blame, finds pollster Dan Jones & Associates.
Jones finds in a new survey that if there’s gridlock, 37 percent will blame Obama, 30 percent will blame the Republicans now in control of Congress and 29 percent say the two sides will be equal in blame.
The blame game aside, Utahns clearly are frustrated with inaction in Washington. And they want something done.
The last two-year Congress – if one looks at substantive bills passed – was the least productive Congress in many, many years, various analyses have shown.
Senators and representatives barely passed a $1.1 trillion budget just before they rushed home for Christmas that will keep the government funded until next October.
But Congress hasn’t passed a new budget in years – only passing resolutions that continue spending of previous years.
They haven’t acted on immigration, tax reform, and a myriad of other issues the American people, through polling, say are important and should be addressed.
While Obama is not liked at all in Utah, nationally his approval ratings are moving up and are near 50 percent.
Congress, on the other hand, has one of its all-time low favorability ratings across America.
Utah is overwhelmingly Republican.
And that’s reflected when the new survey’s questions are broken out by partisanship.
Fifty-five percent of Republicans say Obama should be blamed if gridlock continues in Washington, only 4 percent of Democrats say blame the president, while 27 percent of political independents say the president should take the blame.
Only 12 percent of Republicans say blame Congress if little is done over the next two years, 80 percent of Democrats say the GOP-controlled Congress will be to blame, while 35 percent of independents say Congress will be at fault.
But 28 percent of Republicans say both the president and Congress BOTH entities should share the responsibility of failure, only 12 percent of Democrats say blame both, while 33 percent of independents point to both sides.
But it’s clear most Utahns are just plain tired of little or nothing getting done in the federal government.
Asked if Obama and the GOP-controlled Congress should compromise on major issues, 72 percent of Republicans said “yes,” 95 percent of Democrats agreed and 85 percent of political independents.
Still, there is that diehard, GOP conservative core: 24 percent of Utah Republicans, almost one-fourth, said no compromise with Obama and just “stand firm.”
Only 3 percent of Democrats believe that, and only 13 percent of independents.
Is there hope ahead – maybe.
Jones found that younger Utahns have the least patience for the D.C. fights.
Eighty-six percent of the 18-24 year olds said compromise and get something done in Washington, while 80 percent of the 25-34 year olds said the same thing.
Perhaps believing time is running out, 81 percent of those 65 or older said compromise.
