When CBS/New York Times asked people not what they thought Obama and the Republicans should do but, rather, what they expected Obama and the Republicans would do, 72 percent thought that Obama would try to work with Republicans—but only 46 percent thought that the Republicans would try to work with Obama.

The bottom line is that people want results, they know that getting results will require compromise, and they are predisposed to blame Republicans rather than the president if they get confrontation and gridlock instead…

Here, the public’s message to Republicans is again clear: If you attach a higher priority to budget-cutting than we do while ignoring the collateral damage it inflicts on other things we care about, you’ll lose credibility with us. Obama did some things we didn’t like, but that doesn’t mean we sent you to Washington to ignore our wishes on a different set of issues.

These polls pose a serious problem for the Republican leadership.