The Pew Research Center released a new study yesterday afternoon showing that the filibuster fight, for all the bluster and fireworks it's caused inside the Beltway, hasn't registered much with the public. Of the roughly one-third of those who have paid fairly close attention, 54 percent say they oppose changing the filibuster rules. Thirty-five percent say they have no opinion. In terms of the blame game, the numbers are roughly even — 38 percent said they blame President Bush for the stalemate, and 34 percent hold congressional Democrats responsible.
Disengaged Public Leans Against Changing Filibuster Rules
Approval of Bush, GOP Leaders Slips
Released: May 16, 2005
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Summary of Findings
As the Senate prepares for a showdown on the use of the filibuster against some of President Bush's judicial nominees, the issue remains mostly off the public's radar. But public opinion especially among the roughly one-third of the public who has paid at least fairly close attention to the issue tilts against changing Senate rules to prohibit filibusters against judicial nominees.
The latest national survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, conducted May 11-15 among 1,502 Americans, finds that by 37%-28%, the general public opposes changing the Senate rules to stop the use of filibusters against judicial nominees. But a relatively large number of Americans (35%) have no opinion on the matter. Among the minority who have followed the story fairly or very closely, a majority (54%) opposes changing the rules on Senate filibusters.
About as many Americans blame President Bush (38%) as blame congressional Democrats (34%) for the stalemate over judicial nominees. Opinion on the broader principles involved in the filibuster debate is decidedly mixed. While 62% believe the Senate's minority party should be able to block nominees they feel strongly about, a majority (53%) says that President Bush should be able to appoint anyone he wants to the courts if a majority of senators agree....
...Although neither party is escaping blame, the damage to the Republican Party's image may be more severe. Just 35% of Americans say they approve of the job Republican leaders in Congress are doing; 50% disapprove, up from 44% in March of this year, and 42% a year ago. Public approval of Democratic leaders is only slightly higher (39% approve, 41% disapprove), but has remained unchanged over the past two years.
These generally unfavorable views may have political ramifications for incumbents seeking reelection in 2006. While by more than two-to-one (49%-23%), more say they approve than disapprove of their own representative in the House, this is comparable to measures of satisfaction in the summer of 1993, a year before the historic midterm elections in 1994 in which the Democratic Party lost its majority in the House.
...Over half of the public (53%) agrees that the Republican victory in the 2004 election entitles the president to pick anyone he wants if a majority in the senate agrees; 43% disagree. An even larger majority (62%) agrees that the lifetime terms of judicial appointments entitles the minority to block nominees about whom they feel strongly; just 30% disagree with this. Slightly less than half of the public holds consistent views on these two statements (agreeing with one and not the other).
Views on the first statement are very partisan, which is perhaps not surprising given the specific references to the Republican Party and to President Bush. More than eight-in-ten Republicans (84%) believe that the president should get his way, while 60% of Democrats disagree. Independents are evenly divided (48% agree, 49% disagree). But the principle that would give the minority party the ability to block appointments on which it feels strongly drew significant support among Republicans, with 53% agreeing and 42% disagreeing. Democrats were very supportive (by a margin of 70% to 23%), and most independents also agreed (64%-30%). |
