Tuesday marks the first day of the 114th Congress, and a new Congress means a new day in politics right? Americans are dubious.
A new CNN poll reveals that most voters are not counting on the Republican majority to break up the gridlock in Washington. In fact, some voters predict partisanship may get even worse.
Just 37 percent of voters expect Republicans to get more done in the next two years than Democrats were able to accomplish. And, only 28 percent believe a Republican-controlled Senate will run more smoothly than a Democratic-controlled one did. Just over 20 percent expect the state of the Senate to actually get worse, and nearly half of those polled—46 percent—reported that they didn't expect any change at all.
It's not unusual for voters to feel as though an election won't drastically change the culture of Washington, where budget battles and bitter debates have long plagued the legislative branch. In 2010, right after Republicans gained control of the House of Representatives, 52 percent of Americans predicted the shift would not make any difference at all. In 2006, voters were a little more hopeful when Democrats won control of both the House and the Senate, and 44 percent said they were optimistic the state of Congress would improve.