# Are there any reliable (unbiased) polls indicating which side is going to get blamed for the debt **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 28, 2011, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reliable-unbiased-polls-indicating-which-side-is-going-to-get-blamed-for-the-debt/590672 "2011-07-28T22:08:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reliable-unbiased-polls-indicating-which-side-is-going-to-get-blamed-for-the-debt/590672/1 "2011-07-28T22:08:40Z")
Are there any reliable (unbiased) polls indicating which side is going to get blamed for the debt crisis? I’ll start our own poll even though I have a good idea hows most of us on this board feels anyway. (I don’t think this board is a fair representation of Amerca as a whole) ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reliable-unbiased-polls-indicating-which-side-is-going-to-get-blamed-for-the-debt/590672/2 "2011-07-28T23:28:10Z")
There’s plenty of blame to go around. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reliable-unbiased-polls-indicating-which-side-is-going-to-get-blamed-for-the-debt/590672/3 "2011-07-28T23:55:20Z")
Is it any surprise that each side will blame the other? Dems will blame the 'Pubs because they want to raise the ceiling and the Pubs are stymying it with tax legislation. Pubs will blame the Dems for not accepting the tax legislation. blah blah blah. Not like our opinions matter, we aren’t elected representatives. ---
**Author:** ![conurepete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a88e57/32.png) [@conurepete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/conurepete)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2011, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reliable-unbiased-polls-indicating-which-side-is-going-to-get-blamed-for-the-debt/590672/4 "2011-07-29T01:35:09Z")
Is the question “Who is to blame?” or " Who will GET blamed?" I think the Dems will get blamed. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2011, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reliable-unbiased-polls-indicating-which-side-is-going-to-get-blamed-for-the-debt/590672/5 "2011-07-29T05:58:45Z")
The Tea Party has repeatedly let it be known, hell, they’ve practically crowed about it, that as a point of principle they are quite willing force the issue over the cliff if they cannot get their way re no tax increases, whereas the Democrats and the mainline GOP Republicans seem genuinely horrified at this prospect. The polity may be slow but they aren’t complete idiots. Here’s how blame will be allocated if the government stops Most blame - Tea Party Republicans More blame - Republicans in general Less blame - Democrats Obama looks like a responsible “Dad” in this scenario and the Republicans look like headstrong kids. ---
**Author:** ![Cyberhwk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7993a0/32.png) [@Cyberhwk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyberhwk)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2011, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reliable-unbiased-polls-indicating-which-side-is-going-to-get-blamed-for-the-debt/590672/6 "2011-07-29T06:06:59Z")
I think all the polls are showing is the public is pissed at everybody. Nobody knows what the consequences will end up being though. About the only thing you can be sure of is the public will fail to accept the fact that this situation is their own damn fault. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2011, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reliable-unbiased-polls-indicating-which-side-is-going-to-get-blamed-for-the-debt/590672/7 "2011-07-29T14:36:52Z")
Well, Jon Stewart, who normally blames Republicans, has been blaming both sides quite frequently (with a couple of invectives being rather ignorant, to my chagrin). If even he can believe it’s everyone’s fault, then what hope do we have for the actual conservatives not to blame the Democrats? ---
**Author:** ![thelabdude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dc4da7/32.png) [@thelabdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelabdude)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2011, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reliable-unbiased-polls-indicating-which-side-is-going-to-get-blamed-for-the-debt/590672/8 "2011-07-29T17:38:30Z")
No matter what, the news media will blame the Republicans. If we are lucky, the people will see through it. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2011, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reliable-unbiased-polls-indicating-which-side-is-going-to-get-blamed-for-the-debt/590672/9 "2011-07-31T14:16:32Z")
> [@astro](#): > > The Tea Party has repeatedly let it be known, hell, they’ve practically crowed about it, that as a point of principle they are quite willing force the issue over the cliff if they cannot get their way re no tax increases, whereas the Democrats and the mainline GOP Republicans seem genuinely horrified at this prospect. > > The polity may be slow but they aren’t complete idiots. Here’s how blame will be allocated if the government stops > > Most blame - Tea Party Republicans > More blame - Republicans in general > Less blame - Democrats > > Obama looks like a responsible “Dad” in this scenario and the Republicans look like headstrong kids. Most: Are not Tea Party Republicans More- Are Not Republicans Less: Are Not Democrats Politics as usual. Strange: Nobody really blames _their own_ political party. Somebody needs to do a study… Best wishes, hh ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2011, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reliable-unbiased-polls-indicating-which-side-is-going-to-get-blamed-for-the-debt/590672/10 "2011-08-02T01:44:06Z")
Yes, doesn’t everybody know that Clinton ran up the largest peacetime debt in history and Bush, despite valiant efforts, couldn’t get it under control? Incidentally, the poll asked two more or less contradictory questions and I made no attempt to answer it. The Dems will surely get blamed for the depression to follow. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2011, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reliable-unbiased-polls-indicating-which-side-is-going-to-get-blamed-for-the-debt/590672/11 "2011-08-02T02:46:45Z")
There’s a poll out by Pew Research that says - not surprisingly - [people are mad at everyone](http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-debt-ceiling-pew-poll-20110801,0,5434954.story). As for who they’re more mad at: > [@](#): > > Republicans overall took a hit as well, with 42% saying their impression of the GOP in Congress had become less favorable; 30% said they were now less enchanted with congressional Democrats. About 37% said they now had a worse impression of Congress members affiliated with the tea party movement, while 11% said they now viewed the group more favorably. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2011, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reliable-unbiased-polls-indicating-which-side-is-going-to-get-blamed-for-the-debt/590672/12 "2011-08-02T03:04:35Z")
> [@conurepete](#): > > Is the question “Who is to blame?” or " Who will GET blamed?" I think the Dems will get blamed. Why? When Clinton left office, he gave the Shrub a balanced budget and a surplus. Were you around when Bush got elected? Is that before your time? The Repubs beat the deficits to death when they are in power. They always put it on steroids. Obama .like all Dems, is figuring how to bring it back down. that is what Dems do. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2011, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reliable-unbiased-polls-indicating-which-side-is-going-to-get-blamed-for-the-debt/590672/13 "2011-08-02T04:56:51Z")
Who is to blame for the national debt, or for the current debt crisis? The national debt mostly came from the years of GWB, but Obama raised it significantly. 50-50. The current debt crisis, with raising the debt limit is 100% GOP, and in fact 99% Tea party. It should never have been a political issue at all.