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The Republican Party Is Very Unpopular

There’s a perception out there of a Republican Party that’s running circles around its opponents. And while I see where that’s coming from, it is worth noting that according to the latest CNN poll (PDF) the price the GOP is paying for massive obstruction and refusal to compromise is gross unpopularity:

The GOP is now even less popular than during the impeachment of Bill Clinton. A party that focuses relentlessly on maintaining tax breaks for millionaires, refusing to compromise on anything, all the while acting to paralyze the government in hopes that dysfunction will redound to its benefit is very difficult to deal with. But normally parties don’t act this way because normally party members are more responsive to public opinion. Right now, “only 41 percent of people questioned say the lawmaker in their district in the U.S. House of Representatives deserves to be re-elected — the first time ever in CNN polling that that figure has dropped below 50 percent.” This is kind of uncharted waters in terms of both tactics and the public’s response.

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