A CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll on Sunday:

A new national poll released Sunday indicates that eight in 10 Americans say that the economy is in poor shape, and the number that says conditions are very poor is on the upswing after steady declines through the spring.

And according to a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey, more people blame the Republicans over the Democrats for the country’s economic problems.
[...]
Forty-four percent of people questioned describe economic conditions as very poor, up seven points from July.

The poll indicates that roughly half the country says that conditions have not improved in the past two years. The other half says that the economy has gotten better, but many of them expect things will get worse in the near future.
[...]
According to the survey, more Americans hold the Republicans responsible than the Democrats, with 44 percent blaming the GOP and 35 percent picking the Democrats.

“And when George W. Bush‘s name is added to the mix, the number who blame the Republicans rises to 53 percent, with just a third saying that Barack Obama and his party are at fault. That indicates why the Democrats are likely to mention Bush’s name every chance they get between now and election day,” (CNN Polling Director Keating Holland) said.

And then there’s this Washington Post-ABC News poll last night:

On the economy, 43 percent of voters side with Republicans when it comes to dealing with financial problems, while 39 percent favor Democrats. (Fifteen percent say they trust neither party more.) Although not a significant lead for Republicans, this marks the first time they have had any numerical edge on the economy dating to 2002. In recent years, Democrats have typically held double-digit advantages on the issue.

It’s not just a case of different polls coming up with different results. A new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll released this morning found essentially the same results as the Washington Post-ABC News poll:

Republicans have a slight edge over Democrats on the economy, according to a new national poll.

A CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Tuesday indicates that 46 percent of Americans say that Republicans in Congress would do a better job dealing with the economy, with 43 percent saying that Congressional Democrats would do a better job on the top issue on the minds of Americans. The GOP’s three point advantage is within the poll’s sampling error.

The Republicans’ 3-point edge is a big shift from last year, when the Democrats held a 52 to 39 percent advantage. The GOP leads 51 percent to 32 percent on the economy among Independents, and they have a 9-point advantage on the issue among voters 65 and older.

According to the poll, Republicans have a slight 3-point edge over the Democrats on taxes and a 6-point advantage on tacking the federal budget deficit.

So a few days ago, Americans were pondering the shape of the economy and what got us into this whole damn mess, and what they came up with was something along the lines of:
These guys put us into a car, and drove us into a ditch, and then just walked away, refusing to lift one damn finger to help us get out of the ditch. These same guys want to persuade us to get back into the same car with them, so that the same drivers, in the same impaired state, can drive us down the same damn road again. Meanwhile, the car is still in the ditch.

And now, just a few days later, they want to ask these same guys to go get their tow-truck, and pull us out of the ditch? So that we can get back in the car with them? (Because, hey, who needs to pass Go, who needs to collect $200? “Go to ditch! Go DIRECTLY to ditch!” is just fine.)

And the people going: “One more time, baby! Come on, let’s go, you can do it!” are not standing on the sidelines, either. Those voices are coming from inside the car.

No wonder the rest of the world just doesn’t understand American politics.