A new Reuters/Ipsos poll finds that roughly half of Americans blame Republicans for the ongoing government shutdown, while the other half said they couldn’t tell who was responsible because their browser timed out on the IRS website.
The survey, conducted amid widespread furloughs and national confusion, revealed deep partisan divides: 49% blamed Republicans, 37% blamed Democrats, and 14% blamed “the lizard people running things from underneath Denver Airport.”
Economists warned the shutdown could cost billions, though one Treasury staffer noted that “it’s hard to quantify damage when everything’s already broken.” Meanwhile, members of Congress assured the public they’re “working tirelessly” – from home, with pay – to find someone else to blame.
Americans, for their part, are coping in true national fashion: by angrily posting memes, drinking too much, and insisting that the Founding Fathers definitely would have handled this better.
