ANALYSIS: The Fiscal Cliff's Winners And Losers

Jan. 8, 2013 -- In the tug-of-war over the fiscal cliff both sides had to find room to compromise, but in the first ABC News-Washington Post poll since the deal was struck, President Obama appears to be winning the war for public opinion.

Overall, 52 percent of Americans said they approve of the president's handling of the negotiations to avert the cliff, compared to 37 percent who disapprove. Meanwhile, House Speaker John Boehner's ratings are upside down, with 31 percent approving of his performance on the cliff talks and 51 percent disapproving.

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"Boehner lacks majority approval for his work on the fiscal cliff talks from any group," notes ABC News polling analyst Greg Holyk. "And while Obama breaks even on intensity of sentiment, strong approval of Boehner's performance falls to the single digits."

Of the deal itself -- which raised income tax rates on wealthy Americans but put off some tough choices on other fiscal matters for just a matter of months -- 45 percent in today's ABC News-Washington Post poll said they approve of the agreement while 38 percent disapprove. Another 17 percent of Americans remain undecided.

More findings from the poll:

--Among Democrats, 81 percent approve of President Obama's handling of the talks, including 44 percent who approve "strongly.

--Among Republicans, Speaker Boehner received 38 percent approval overall, and just 10 percent strong approval.

--Political independents split about evenly on the deal itself (40 percent approve, 44 percent disapprove and 16 percent don't know) and on Obama's handling of negotiations, but most (52 percent) disapprove of Boehner's performance.

Full ABC News-Washington Post poll results: http://abcn.ws/U0nCRI