DIVIDED WE STILL STAND

More Americans say polarization in Congress is good

The sharp political divide that many Americans say they hate may be becoming the new normal.

A USA TODAY/Bipartisan Policy Center poll taken this month shows no change in the overwhelming consensus that U.S. politics have become more divided in recent years.

But sentiments have shifted significantly during the past year about whether the nation’s unyielding political divide is a positive or a negative. In February 2013, Americans said by nearly 4-1 that the heightened division is a bad thing because it makes it harder to get things done.

In the new poll, the fourth in a year-long series, the percentage saying the divide is bad has

“Honestly, I feel like Congress is designed to be slow, so it could be frustrating, but that’s how they are designed to be.”

Gage Egurrola, salesman from Caldwell, Idaho

dropped by nearly 20 percentage points, to 55% from 74%. And the number who say it’s a good thing — because it gives voters a real choice — jumped to 40% from 20%.

“Honestly, I feel like Congress is designed to be slow, so it could be frustrating, but that’s how they are designed to be,” Gage Egurrola, 23, a salesman from Caldwell, Idaho, who was among those surveyed. “It helps stop bad policies.”

Shar Wright, 65, of Bodfish, Calif., disagrees. “I think it’s terrible,” she says. “They’re putting their own agendas first and they should be voting on what the people want and what the country needs. What we need is a lot more care, a lot more concern and a lot less of tomfoolery.”

The shift in public opinion toward Egurrola’s view may reflect broadening acceptance of Washington’s polarization as an inevitable fact of life. Skepticism about the government’s ability to solve big problems, fueled by concerns about the Affordable Care Act, could play a part as well. It could boost Republicans in the November elections, minimizing

the impact of Democratic charges that the GOP is obstructionist.

Now, Americans say it’s more important for their representative in Congress to stop bad laws than to pass new ones. On that, there is no partisan divide: 54% of Republicans and 51% of Democrats say blocking bad laws should be their priority.

The nationwide poll of 1,000 adults, taken by landline and cellphone March 3-6, has a margin of error of +/-3 percentage points.

Democratic pollster Mark Mellman, who conducted the poll with Republican pollster Whit Ayres, cautions that seeing the political divide as a good thing is still a minority view, but it seems to be a growing one. “There’s a feeling on the part of many people that in this environment where they don’t see a lot of good that’s happening, their goal is to have their member stop bad things from happening, and they see polarization as a way to do that,” he says.

For many in the GOP, Ayres says, attitudes toward President Obama and the perception that he’s unwilling to compromise are driving the shift in views. “Republicans in particular realize that the best they’re going to do with a Democratic president and a Democratic Senate is stopping bad things,” he says. “They believe that if you can stop the stimulus bill or stop Obamacare, that may be the best we can do — and that is a function of the divisions.”

Republicans split almost evenly, 49%-47%, on whether the sharper partisan divide is good or bad. Democrats call it bad by 62%-35%, independents by 56%-38%.

Like it or not, Americans express few hopes that the friction that has prevented action even on issues on which most Americans agree — the need to overhaul immigration laws, for instance, or raise the minimum wage — is about to ease anytime soon. Nearly half predict Congress’ job performance will stay the same over the next two years; one in five say it’s likely to get worse. Just 28% expect it to improve. “It’s the same old, same old,” says Daniel McAvoy, 58, a retired police officer from Palm Coast, Fla. “Nothing changes with these people. They get in there and all of a sudden, it’s about them and not about us.”

WHAT VOTERS WANT

Americans have some clear ideas about what they want their representative in Congress to do:

Vote based on what their constituents want (80%), rather than on what their own conscience and experience would dictate (17%).

uWork across party lines and be willing to compromise to devise solutions to the nation’s problems (66%), rather than stick up for principles even if it means legislation to address serious problems doesn’t pass (30%).

Spend more time in their home districts to stay in touch (67%), rather than in Washington to build relationships that would allow them to break the gridlock (27%).

That last finding underscores the difficulty of figuring out how to encourage more bipartisanship. Washington veterans from Republican Trent Lott to Democrat Tom Daschle, both former Senate majority leaders, cite the trend of members minimizing their time in D.C. as one factor that has made it hard to foster collaborative relationships.

By 70%-12%, those surveyed say their representatives should keep their families in the home district, not move them to Washington.

In follow-up phone interviews, respondents offered some suggestions of their own:

Kimberly Lehman, 29, a stay-at-home mom from Newville, Pa.: “Kick the ones out that are in there to start; put some new people in there.”

Gary Fowler, 52, of Throckmorton, Texas: “You shouldn’t be able to spend any more on a campaign than they will make when they get in. When you spend $40 million on an election, you’ve sold your vote before you’re even in office.”

Vincent Wise Jr., 33, an artist from Queens, N.Y.: “We need a genuine independent party.”

Mollie Fenton, 63, a retiree from Walla Walla, Wash.: “They need to have a term (limit), just like the president, that they are not allowed to stay in Congress for as long as some of them have.”

ISO THE POSITIVE

Just how much do Americans dislike Congress?

In search of the positive, the USA TODAY/BPC poll asked what respondents liked most about the legislative branch. By an overwhelming margin, the first choice among five options was the least flattering one: “We can kick them out if they don’t do what we want.”

That was cited by 39% of those surveyed, although in fact incumbents are rarely defeated. Another 19% said they appreciate Congress’ role in providing a check on the power of the president. Just 15% agreed with the characteristic often named by House members themselves, that their branch of government is closest to the people.

At first, Meghan Sunday-Davis, 24, a nurse from Cincinnati, can’t think of anything she likes about Congress. Then she adds, “I like that they think they are trying to help people, I guess.” But she faults them for not delivering.

“They never come down to the real world. They think they are helping people, but it’s just not working,” she says. “I know people have their firm beliefs, but you have to have some wiggle room, some movement, and work together instead of being bone-headed.”

Crushingly negative assessments of Congress have become familiar. In this poll, 77% disapprove of Congress, 19% approve. The intensity of feeling is onesided: Half say they strongly disapprove; just 2% strongly approve.

Still, Americans continue to believe change begins elsewhere: By 52%-34%, those surveyed approve of their own member of the House. Even those who want wholesale change aren’t inclined to think that necessarily means defeating the representative of their district.