Key Point: “Presumably, thanks to a less cynical view of Congress, YouGov’s new polling for the Economist indicates most Americans — including most Democrats and Republicans — think the lack of a speaker is hurting the ability of the government to function. … YouGov’s results indicate that Republicans in Congress are viewed particularly poorly.”

Washington Post: Americans see the House speaker mess as hurting the country

By Philip Bump

• But there is an obvious way in which the lack of a speaker is negatively impacting governance: The House is spending a lot of time figuring out who should have this particularly thankless job instead of passing bills that aren’t considered in the Senate.

• Presumably, thanks to a less cynical view of Congress, YouGov’s new polling for the Economist indicates most Americans — including most Democrats and Republicans — think the lack of a speaker is hurting the ability of the government to function. (Some fraction of each party thinks the lack of speaker is helping; that might be the most cynical view possible.)
  
• While Republicans, including McCarthy, have tried (and continue to try) to frame the lack of leadership as a function of Democratic ineptitude, YouGov’s results indicate that Republicans in Congress are viewed particularly poorly, even by the low standard at which Congress is generally viewed. Four in 10 Americans view congressional Democrats at least somewhat favorably; only a third view Republicans in Congress that way.

• Nine in 10 Democrats view their own party’s congressional delegation favorably. Only two-thirds of Republicans view theirs so generously.

• A plurality of Americans (including both Democrats and independents) view compromise as a better alternative.

• That was before the House began voting on the nomination of Jordan, though. And with those votes under our belts, we can safely say that … yeah, the country’s skepticism about this thing being resolved quickly seems warranted.