Posted by Chris Cillizza and Scott Clement on March 13, 2013 at 3:18 pm  The release of the Washington Post-ABC monthly national poll is a cause for much celebration here in Fixworld. (It’s like the Pope announcement in Rome. Except with much less global importance) But, we also understand that all of you — by that we mean people with real jobs — don’t have a full day to pore over all of the data in the survey. (If you do happen to have the time, you can find the full poll here.)  So, in the interest of time, we sifted through the whole poll and picked out the one, best piece of news in it for Democrats and Republicans. We start with the best number in the poll for Democrats. Look for the best number for Republicans later today in this space. And here’s the best news for Republicans.  The best number for Democrats in the Post-ABC poll is 24 percent, which is the approval rating of Republicans in Congress. A whopping 72 percent of people disapprove.  A look inside the numbers provides even more bad news for Republicans. Over half — 53 percent — of all self-identified GOPers disapprove of how their party in Congress.  What’s clear from those dismal numbers is that the re-branding of their party that Republicans have acknowledged must happen in the wake of the 2012 election has yet to take hold.  Approval ratings for Congressional Republicans haven’t crested 30 percent since April 2011 and haven’t been over 40 percent since June 2005. (Congressional Democrats stand at 34 percent approval in the new Post-ABC poll and haven’t been over 40 percent in job approval since July 2009.)  While President Obama’s numbers — overall and on the economy — have sunk since the heights he reached late last year and earlier this year, he is still significantly more popular than his main adversaries with fights over guns, immigration and the budget looming.
President Obama has come back to earth in terms of his popularity. But Republicans are still in the basement.