Poll: Americans Say Dems, GOP Equally At Fault In Super Committee Bust

Most Americans are joining the blame game over the recent “super” failure of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, only they’re pointing at both parties rather than isolating one. 

According to a new Gallup poll, 55 percent of Americans say both Democratic and Republican members of the committee share the responsibility for its failure at trimming at least $1.2 trillion from the federal deficit over the next ten years. 

However, those surveyed who pointed to one party over the other believe that Republicans are more at fault for the super committee’s inability to reach an agreement than their Democratic counterparts, 24 to 15 percent, respectively. 

Figures show that by a 2 to 1 margin, Americans wanted the bipartisan, bicameral group to compromise their views on taxes and entitlement reform more than had already been offered. 

Not all Americans wanted their party’s members to reach further across the aisle as a means to reach a deal. According to the poll, Republicans are divided in their views of whether the super committee should have compromised more or was right to let negotiations falter. Just 44 percent of Republicans surveyed said more should have been done while 42 percent believe committee members were right to refuse a deal that did not reflect their views. 

Results from the poll are based on phone interviews conducted on Nov. 21, 2011. Just over 1,000 adults were surveyed from all 50 states and Washington, D.C.