A plurality of American voters blame Democrats and not Republicans for a potential debt default, a Morning Consult poll revealed Wednesday.
Thirty percent of respondents said they would blame Democrats for defaulting on the debt while only 21 percent would blame Republicans.
The poll also suggests 15 percent of voters say they understand “very well” the Democrats’ debt ceiling cliff.
“There was no significant partisan difference in those who said they understood the debt conversations happening in Washington,” the poll said. “Sixteen percent of Democrats said they understood the subject very well, compared to 15 percent of Republicans who said the same.”
WASHINGTON, DC – SEPTEMBER 28: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) speaks to reporters after a lunch meeting with Senate Democrats at the U.S. Capitol on September 28, 2021 in Washington, DC. Senator Schumer and the Democrats spoke on a range of issues, including the debt ceiling, the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill and the $3.5 trillion spending and social safety net package. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
The poll comes as the Democrat-controlled government is struggling to reconcile the debt ceiling that must be raised on or before October 18.
Democrats on Wednesday are hoping the Senate will vote to increase the debt limit, but Democrats appear to be ten Republican votes short of raising the limit.
If Democrats fail to raise the limit Wednesday, they will have options to weigh. The first choice is to use reconciliation, a tactic the GOP would like the Democrats to use because it would jam Biden’s legislative agenda and cause Democrats to take tough votes during the process that would not fair well for them in the 2022 midterms.
The second option is to nuke the filibuster on the subject of raising the debt ceiling, which would allow Democrats to raise the debt ceiling by a simple majority of 50 votes. Biden told reports Tuesday he was strongly considering this option. But Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) have signaled they oppose this maneuver. To nuke the filibuster, Senate Democrats would need both Manchin and Sinema to vote “yes” to end it.
President Joe Biden speaks outside the White House with a bipartisan group of senators after a meeting about an infrastructure deal June 24, 2021, in Washington, DC. From left to right are Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH), Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), and Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT). (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Either way, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has made it clear he believes it is the Democrats’ responsibility to run the Democrat-controlled government. McConnell is placing the onus on Democrats due to their year-long partisan behavior. If Democrats want to rule alone, they must also fix the debt ceiling alone, McConnell strategizes.
Follow Wendell Husebø on Twitter @WendellHusebø
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