The Dow Jones had its largest drop ever after the bailout failed to pass in the House. Poll: GOP blamed for failed bailout

Respondents to a new ABC News/Washington Post poll blame Republicans over Democrats by more than a two-to-one margin for Monday’s failed vote on the $700 billion bailout package.

The poll, conducted Monday evening after the vote, reported 44 percent of respondents said the GOP is “mainly responsible” for the failed deal. Twenty-one percent blamed Democrats while 17 percent said the two parties share equal blame. The survey interviewed 424 registered voters and has a five percent margin of error.


Forty-seven percent of those polled oppose the bailout while 45 percent said they support it. Only a slim majority, 51 percent, expressed confidence that the proposed bailout would prevent the current financial crisis from getting worse.

But while Americans are split over the bailout, a vast majority, 88 percent, said the failed vote “could lead to a more severe economic decline.”

House leaders on both sides have blamed the other party for Monday’s vote, but seem ready to reconvene Thursday to hash out their difference on a new package.

Both Barack Obama and John McCain support the bailout and say they have been in continued discussions with the White House and party leaders as they work on a new deal.

White House spokesman Tony Fratto said Tuesday that Bush, “intends to stay here to work on this financial rescue package with members of Congress for as long as it takes to get this done, because it is — it is critical.”

The ABC News/Washington Post poll is the first major survey since Monday’s failed vote.