Senator John McCain (R-AZ) is one of few Republicans to emerge from the government shutdown unscathed, according to a CNN/ORC poll.
The poll, released on Monday, finds that among the legislators included in the poll – House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), and Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) – Senator McCain is viewed the most favorably, by 48 percent of Americans.
His fellow Republicans do not fare as well.
Speaker Boehner — who backed Cruz’s efforts to defund Obamacare and shut down the government — is the least popular of the group, with 55 percent saying they have an unfavorable view of him, and only 27 saying they have a favorable view. McConnell and Cruz are viewed unfavorably by 42 percent, while 23 percent hold the opposite view.
McCain is also more popular than the Democrats included in the poll. Senator Reid is viewed negatively, 30 percent to 40 percent, as is Rep. Pelosi, 37 percent to 47 percent.
Senator McCain’s popularity could stem from his very outspoken criticism of the Tea Party-led effort to defund the Affordable Care Act and the government shutdown, which he called “unnecessary” and nothing more than “shenanigans.”
Ironically, despite his overall popularity, McCain is a pariah to much of his own party. Cruz — whom McCain calls a “wacko bird” — has condemned the Arizona senator for not supporting House conservatives. Tea Partiers like Cruz argue that Americans support the far-right’s efforts, and claim if Senate Republicans stopped “attacking House conservatives,” the Tea Party would never lose.
On the contrary. Americans appear to respect McCain’s call for reason — while Cruz and the Tea Party bring the Republican Party down with them.
A majority of Americans surveyed – 56 percent – now have an unfavorable view of the far-right faction of the GOP. And the strong disapproval of the Tea Party is spilling over to the entire Republican Party, with the poll finding an overwhelming 64 percent of Americans saying they have an unfavorable view of the GOP, and 54 percent deeming the GOP-controlled House “bad for the country.”
This latest poll is just one of many released since the government shutdown to show that the GOP is already suffering the consequences of the shutdown, as McCain warned his Tea Party opponents months ago.
The poll was conducted from October 18-20 and surveyed 841 American adults. The poll has a +/- 3.5 percent margin of error.
Photo: Gage Skidmore via Flickr
