Glimmers and cold comforts

From Michael Barrone:

Northern Virginia was perhaps more impacted by the shutdown than any other part of the country.  Yet when the exit poll asked who was more to blame, 47 percent of voters said Republicans in Congress and 46 percent said Obama. Considering that individuals almost always poll better than groups of people—particularly Republicans (or, for that matter, Democrats) in Congress, this is a devastating result for Obama. 

It reminds me of the story of the Teamsters Union business agent who was in the hospital and received a bouquet of flowers.  The card read, “The executive board wishes you a speedy recovery by a vote of 9 to 6.”  However, in this case, the margin was narrower.