Poll: 48% Expect More Partisan Bickering in New Congress

[Ron Burgundy]

Rasmussen Reports - When Democrats take control of Congress in January, they will benefit from low expectations among the general public. Despite talk of bipartisanship by top politicians, only 37% expect to see more bipartisan compromise. A Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that half of all voters (48%) expect an increase in partisan bickering.

Expectations are low in the policy realm as well. Forty-five percent (45%) of likely voters say Congress now has a mandate to change Iraq policy; 34% say it doesn't, and 21% are "not sure." A slightly larger number, 49%, believe Congress has a mandate to change domestic policy; 32% disagree.

The survey also found that voters see limits on the change they'd like to see in the Senate. Only 36% of likely voters say the new Senate has a mandate to "approve more liberal judges." Forty percent (40%) dispute that assessment, and 24% are not sure.

While expectations are low, an earlier survey found that 65% of voters believe the Democrats are at least somewhat likely to retain control of Congress following the 2008 elections. Democrats start with an advantage because only 15% of American voters rated the performance of the GOP Congress as good or excellent.

Not surprisingly, there are strong partisan differences on all these topics. When it comes to partisanship, 69% of Republicans expect an increase in partisan bickering. Only 29% of Democrats share that view.

On the subject of Iraq, 54% of Democrats think there party has a mandate for change, a view shared by 51% of unaffiliated voters. However, only 30% of Republicans agree.

Sixty-four percent (64%) of Democrats see a mandate for domestic policy changes, versus only 29% of Republicans.

However, just half of Democrats (50%) are willing to claim such a mandate for the Senate to approve more liberal judges. Only 20% of Republicans agree; 61% disagree.

This national telephone survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports November 10-11, 2006. The margin of sampling error for the survey is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence.

Rasmussen Reports is an electronic publishing firm specializing in the collection, publication, and distribution of public opinion polling information.