Majority Have Unfavorable View of Boehner's Fiscal Cliff Negotiations

A majority of registered voters disapproves of how House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) has handled the fiscal cliff negotiations, according to a new national poll.

The Washington Post-ABC News poll found that 54%  of those surveyed disapproved of Boehner’s performance while only 24% approved.

Boehner’s poor numbers are largely due to his lack of support among Republicans. While 79% of Democrats approved of Obama’s performance, only 39% of registered GOP voters approved of Boehner’s handling of the negotiations while 37% disapproved. Further, 35% of those who describe themselves as “somewhat conservative” approve of how Boehner has handled the negotiations and 23% of  “moderates” approve.

Last week, conservatives like South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint and the Heritage Foundation criticized Boehner, with the Heritage Foundation writing that Boehner’s counteroffer to Obama’s initial plan to avert the fiscal cliff was “beyond disappointing” because it called for $800 billion in new taxes without even a serious attempt at structurally reforming entitlements.