A majority of Americans think it is bad for the country that Republicans control the House of Representatives, and even more want House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) to be replaced by another Republican, according to a CNN/ORC International poll released Monday.
Fifty-four percent think it's bad that Republicans control the House, the poll found. That's up from 43 percent in December 2012, during the last fiscal standoff. The figure is the first time a majority thought Republican control was bad for the country since CNN started asking in December 2010. Sixty-three percent of respondents want Boehner replaced, but by another Republican, which would not change GOP control of the House.
The poll is yet another sign that the government shutdown has hurt the Republican party. An NBC/WSJ poll taken during the shutdown showed that 24 percent of people approved of the party, a record low. Gallup measured another record low for the GOP, with 28 percent approving. A poll released Sunday funded by Moveon.org and conducted by the Democratic-leaning Public Policy Polling showed that incumbent Republicans trailed generic Democrats in 15 of 25 competitive House districts.
Congress as a whole has a measly 12 percent approval rating, while 86 percent disapprove, according to the CNN/ORC International poll. President Barack Obama received a 44 percent approval rating, while 52 percent said they disapprove -- a number virtually unchanged since June. Forty-four percent are more confident that Obama can handle problems facing the U.S., versus 31 percent who said they think Republicans can. Twenty-one percent said they were confident in neither.
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