Dissatisfaction and anger with the federal government are at a nearly 20-year high, according to the results of a new ABC News/Washington Post poll released Wednesday. When asked how they felt about the federal government, 80 percent of poll respondents said that they felt dissatisfied or even angry about the work the government is doing. The last time such a peak of ill will was felt was during 1992's economic slump, under President George Bush's leadership.
The public's slumping opinion of the country's political class can be actively attributed to the negotiations surrounding the debt ceiling: The dissatisfaction numbers rocketed up 11 points between this month and last.
Indeed, congressional Republicans are facing the fire of poor public opinion. The ABC News/Washington Post poll shows a 28 percent approval rating for them, with 77 percent of participants saying the Republican leadership is unwilling to negotiate, further slowing debt talks.
A CBS poll released earlier this week is even darker for the Republicans — they garnered only a 21 percent approval rating in that poll.
President Barack Obama and the Federal Reserve have declared a rapidly approaching August 2 deadline for a solution to the nation's debt.
