EmailA quick word of caution in assessing “blame” for a partial government shutdown, should it occur: In our latest ABC/Post poll, 31 percent of Americans said it would be a good thing if it happened.
That view ranged from 19 percent among liberal Democrats to 43 percent of conservative Republicans and 55 percent of strong supporters of the Tea Party political movement. Barring a change in attitude, there would be, for them, no “blame” to lay; rather, credit due.
The finding's hardly new: After the partial shutdown in 1996, similarly, 26 percent in our polling said it’d been a good thing. Only 12 percent of Americans, moreover, said they personally were inconvenienced by the partial shutdown 15 years ago, including just 4 percent who experienced “major” inconvenience.