Blame Washington, Not Wall Street, Hill Poll Finds

While the Occupy Wall Street protest movement has gained rapid notoriety, a new poll from The Hill indicates that Americans might be more supportive of an Occupy Washington movement. The survey shows that 56 percent of likely voters blame the country’s economic and financial woes on the government, compared with 33 percent who view Wall Street as responsible.

Not surprisingly, more than 70 percent of likely voters who call themselves conservatives blame Washington, and more than 50 percent of liberals blame Wall Street. Among centrists, almost half blame Washington. To be sure, among those who said they’re “not sure” about President Barack Obama, 55 percent blame Wall Street for the economic and financial suffering, while only 23 percent blame Washington.

The poll also indicates Obama and his fellow Democrats should be careful about what they wish for in supporting the Occupy Wall Street protests. Only 28 percent of likely voters see the movement helping Obama and fellow Democrats in next year’s elections, while 38 percent expect the movement to hurt them. Even among liberals, only half expect the protestors to be helpful.

On another subject, 49 percent of likely voters expect Mitt Romney to win the Republican presidential nomination, 15 percent expect Herman Cain to win, and 9 percent expect Rick Perry to win. No one else scores more than 2 percent.