The brutal government shutdown poll the GOP didn't want to see
It's official: The shutdown is destroying the Republican Party brand

A new NBC/Wall Street Journal poll released Thursday evening paints a bleak picture for the Republican Party: Americans blame the GOP for the government shutdown by a wide, 22-point margin over President Obama.
To rub salt in the wound, a measly 24 percent of respondents said they had a favorable opinion of the GOP — a historic low for the NBC/WSJ poll.
The news comes as House Republicans, led by Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), marched to the White House to present their plan to end the stalemate, which would entail raising the debt ceiling for six weeks and locking Obama into negotiations over the budget. Under the plan, the government shutdown would remain in place.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The delegation left the White House without a deal, which has been widely seen as an indication that Obama is not backing down from his demand that Congress both lift the debt ceiling and open the government for business — with no strings attached.
The brutal poll will only put more steel in the spines at the White House. Indeed, it appeared to mark a turning point in the debate, the starkest evidence to date that the GOP is badly losing the argument over the shutdown. Anti-shutdown conservatives on Twitter are vocally bemoaning the extensive, self-inflicted damage done to the party in the space of a mere week.
More really, really bad news for the GOP in the NBC/WSJ poll:
And one year until next fall's midterm elections, American voters prefer a Democratic-controlled Congress to a Republican-controlled one by eight percentage points (47 percent to 39 percent), up from the Democrats' three-point advantage last month (46 percent to 43 percent).
What's more, Obama's political standing has remained relatively stable since the shutdown, with his approval rating ticking up two points since last month, and with the Democratic Party's favorability rating declining just three points (from 42 percent to 39 percent).
"If it were not so bad for the country, the results could almost make a Democrat smile," says Democratic pollster Peter D. Hart, who conducted the survey with Republican pollster Bill McInturff.
"These numbers lead to one inescapable conclusion: The Republicans are not tone deaf; they are stone deaf." [NBC News]
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Ryu Spaeth is deputy editor at TheWeek.com. Follow him on Twitter.
-
Why does Elon Musk take his son everywhere?
Talking Point With his four-year-old 'emotional support human' by his side, what message is the world's richest man sending?
By Rebekah Evans, The Week UK Published
-
The Week Unwrapped: Why are sinkholes becoming more common?
Podcast Plus, will Saudi investment help create the "Netflix of sport"? And why has New Zealand's new tourism campaign met with a savage reception?
By The Week UK Published
-
How Poland became Europe's military power
The Explainer Warsaw has made its armed forces a priority as it looks to protect its borders and stay close to the US
By Elizabeth Carr-Ellis, The Week UK Published
-
'Seriously, not literally': how should the world take Donald Trump?
Today's big question White House rhetoric and reality look likely to become increasingly blurred
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Will Trump's 'madman' strategy pay off?
Today's Big Question Incoming US president likes to seem unpredictable but, this time round, world leaders could be wise to his playbook
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
US election: who the billionaires are backing
The Explainer More have endorsed Kamala Harris than Donald Trump, but among the 'ultra-rich' the split is more even
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
US election: where things stand with one week to go
The Explainer Harris' lead in the polls has been narrowing in Trump's favour, but her campaign remains 'cautiously optimistic'
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Is Trump okay?
Today's Big Question Former president's mental fitness and alleged cognitive decline firmly back in the spotlight after 'bizarre' town hall event
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
The life and times of Kamala Harris
The Explainer The vice-president is narrowly leading the race to become the next US president. How did she get to where she is now?
By The Week UK Published
-
Will 'weirdly civil' VP debate move dial in US election?
Today's Big Question 'Diametrically opposed' candidates showed 'a lot of commonality' on some issues, but offered competing visions for America's future and democracy
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
1 of 6 'Trump Train' drivers liable in Biden bus blockade
Speed Read Only one of the accused was found liable in the case concerning the deliberate slowing of a 2020 Biden campaign bus
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published