Half of Americans believe Republican control of both chambers of Congress will be bad for the country, and a majority say it will in fact cause more gridlock in Washington, according to a new CNN/ORC nationwide poll. But the poll also shows the Republican Party's brand has improved over the past year, and they now are only slightly less popular than the Democratic Party. Democratic Party approval levels, meanwhile, have remained static. According to the survey, 50 percent of Americans believe the GOP taking control of the House and the Senate next year will be bad for America, and 52 percent expect it to lead to more gridlock. Another 37 percent, however, expect to see no difference in the levels of gridlock in Congress.
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A new CNN/ORC poll finds 50 percent of Americans think GOP control of Congress will be bad for America
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Sixty-eight percent of Americans believe the GOP isn't cooperating enough with the President
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The GOP brand has begun to rebound, now only slightly lagging Democrats in terms of popularity
Indeed, the CNN/ORC poll shows that a vast majority of Americans — 74 percent — saw the GOP's wins earlier this month as a repudiation of Democratic policies, far more than the 16 percent who saw it as a mandate for @placeholder to pass their own.
A shutdown lasting weeks would be seen as even more dire for @placeholder.