To hear congressional Republicans tell it, Americans are practically desperate to see congressional Dems line up behind the GOP agenda. “Obstructionism,” they say, will cost Dems dearly. They continue to be wrong.
A new NBC/Wall Street Journal poll (.pdf) shows, once again, that the public wants Dems to stand up to Bush, even if that means increased political “gridlock.” When respondents were asked how they think Dems should approach the nation’s policy agenda, they largely said they want Dems to stand in the GOP’s way.
Which of the following roles would you like to see Democrats in Congress play?
Work in a bi-partisan way with Republicans to help pass President Bush’s legislative priorities so that we do not have gridlock, or provide a balance to make sure that President Bush and the Republicans do not go too far in pushing their agenda.
Fully 60%, including one-fourth of Republicans, say Dems should make sure Bush and the Republicans “don’t go too far.” Just 34% want Democrats to “work in a bipartisan way” to help pass the president’s priorities.
What’s more, the numbers are trending in our direction. A month ago, 57% said they want Dems to make sure the GOP doesn’t go too far. In other words, as the president continues to push his Social Security scheme nationwide, support for obstructionism has gone up, not down.
As I said last month, poll numbers like these are the perfect antidote to Republican rhetoric about ending “obstructionism.” People want a real opposition party — let’s give them one.