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.

So what of the Republicans’ agenda? Will it jibe with what the public wants?

On October 27, Bloomberg reported that House Republicans plan to slash $100 billion from non-defense discretionary spending as early as January. The Bloomberg survey, released the following day, then asked people to consider some of the things Republicans want to accomplish in the new Congress and say whether they definitely want the GOP to follow through or not. Some of the responses: