WASHINGTON — Americans by 2-to-1 want the White House and congressional Republicans to reach a compromise on the federal budget rather than stage a confrontation that shuts down the government, a Gallup Poll finds.
Yet there is wide public support for spending cuts that go beyond those President Obama is proposing, a finding that could embolden Republicans as the deadline to extend funding for the government approaches.
Although 25% of those surveyed say Republican-proposed cuts go too far, twice as many say that Obama's cuts don't go far enough. In fact, nearly one in four say even the deeper GOP cuts aren't sufficient.
Both parties are jockeying for advantage on the issue, an early test for the fiscally conservative Tea Party forces that helped the GOP win control of the House of Representatives in midterm voting. White House spokesman Jay Carney and House Speaker John Boehner insist they want to avoid a shutdown, but each side accuses the other of refusing to negotiate in good faith.
The last time a budget fight shut down the government, in 1995, congressional Republicans got the lion's share of public blame. The battle boosted President Clinton.
History doesn't guarantee that Obama would emerge as the political victor in a shutdown, though, says Elaine Kamarck, who in 1995 was an adviser to Vice President Al Gore. "I think it depends on what the optics are and how President Obama defines his participation in the shutdown," she told a breakfast with reporters Wednesday hosted by Third Way, a centrist think tank. "It will depend on how the shutdown gets defined, if there is one."
Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, a prospective GOP presidential candidate, says the public's concern about government spending is higher now. "The dynamics are different than they were in 1995," he said at a session with reporters hosted by The Christian Science Monitor. "The public mood is different."
Among Gallup's findings:
•Americans are split on who is doing a better job in trying to agree on a new budget: 42% say congressional Republicans; 39% say Obama and congressional Democrats.
•By 60%-32%, those surveyed say the two sides should compromise rather than hold out for the budget plan they want if it means the government shuts down.
•Although 29% call Obama's plan "about right," 48% say his proposed spending cuts don't go far enough. For congressional Republicans, 25% say their plan is "about right;" 37% say the cuts don't go far enough.
Funding for the government is scheduled to expire March 4.
The survey of 1,004 adults Tuesday has a margin of error of +/–4 percentage points.
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