The debt stalemate is finally over, but what does the public think of how leaders in Washington resolved it? A look at recent polls.
The deal is done. Washington's latest stalemate ended on Tuesday as President Obama signed a bill to raise the national debt limit and avoid default.
Obama, Republicans, and Democrats finally agreed to raise the debt ceiling by $2.1 trillion, enough to last through 2012 and past the next election. They agreed to cut spending by about $1 trillion immediately, then create a so-called "super committee" that must propose $1.5 trillion in deficit-reduction measures, to be submitted to Congress by Nov. 23. Barring agreement on that plan, $1.2 trillion in spending cuts will automatically occur, half from domestic programs and half from defense spending. See more details of the deal here.
So, what does the public think of all this? No one will be completely happy, but polls show that Washington met the public's goals about halfway.
- 56 percent wanted a combination of tax increases and spending cuts, while 19 percent wanted only cuts and 12 percent wanted only tax increases, according to a July 25 Reuters/Ipsos poll
- 60 percent wanted a combination of tax increases and spending cuts, 19 percent wanted only cuts, and eight percent wanted only tax increases, according to a July 20-24 Pew Research Center poll
- 64 percent wanted both tax increases and spending cuts, while 34 percent wanted only cuts, according to a July 18-20 CNN poll