National Miscellany

From Public Policy Polling:

Americans think the new Republican majority in the House has done a worse job than the previous Democratic regime. And they hate John Boehner.  Only 32% of voters think House Republicans have been an improvement, while 45% think things were better during the Pelosi years. Those feelings are particularly strong among the independents whose votes fueled the GOP taking control last year- 51% of them think the Republicans have made the House worse to just 27% who think they’ve made it better.

A lot of the unhappiness with House Republicans is being driven by the unpopularity of John Boehner.  Only 27% of voters approve of the job he’s doing to 48% who disapprove. With independents the numbers are even worse, a 26/52 spread. By this time next year being tied to him may prove to be just as toxic for GOP incumbents as being tied to Nancy Pelosi was for Democrats last year.

Given the unhappiness with Boehner and the sense that Republicans have made things worse, it’s no surprise to see Democrats leading the generic House ballot by a 45-42 margin nationally, continuing the advantage we’ve seen for them for the last six months.