The GOP Image Is Near-Rock Bottom After The Fiscal Cliff Negotiations

AP

The Republican image has taken a big hit from the fiscal cliff negotiations as both parties prepare for the next several rounds of fiscal talks in the coming months.

Two polls released in the past day show that even Republicans do not approve of the way the party handled the fiscal cliff negotiations.

An ABC/Washington Post poll found that just 31 percent approved of Boehner's handling of the fiscal cliff, compared with 52 percent that disapproved. Among his own party, Boehner's approval-to-disapproval split stood at a dreadful 38-49.

The findings were similar in a Pew Research Center survey. The poll found that voters gave abysmal marks to Republican leaders for their part in the talks. Only 19 percent of respondents approved of the way Republicans handled the negotiations, compared with 66 percent who disapproved. And the split among Republicans was 40-45.

President Barack Obama, meanwhile, and his public image came out from the fight relatively unscathed. In the ABC poll, Obama's approval-to-disapproval split on the talks was 52-37. In the Pew poll, it was 48-40.

Here's a look at the split in the Pew poll:

Pew Research Center

Overall, voters weren't very enthusiastic about the deal. In the ABC poll, respondents narrowly approved of the overall result. In the Pew poll, slightly more voters disapproved than approved. And an astounding 52 percent said the deal will "hurt people like you."

Obviously, the debate to come on the debt ceiling and sequester will differ from the cliff, but Obama and Democrats will go into them with what appears to be a significant advantage in public opinion.