ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) -- Two independent polls find New Yorkers are more unhappy than ever with the way things are going at the state Capitol.
A Siena College poll finds 63 percent of New York voters think the state is headed in the wrong direction. For the first time, that feeling is shared by every political party, region and age group. The Siena College poll finds more than half of voters find the state Senate power struggle, that has paralyzed the house for two weeks, is an embarrassment.
A Quinnipiac University poll finds 71 percent of voters, one of the highest numbers ever measured in a Quinnipiac University poll, are "somewhat dissatisfied'' or ``very dissatisfied'' with the way things are going. The poll finds 42 percent of voters are embarrassed by the Senate standoff that continues into Tuesday.
"Democrats, Republicans and independent voters all strongly agree that the Senate fight is bad for New York and making it harder to enact critical legislation,'' said Siena pollster Steven Greenberg.
"Dysfunctional?'' asks Quinnipiac pollster Maurice Carroll. "That could be the automatic adjective for Albany. Maybe we should find a more vivid word. Three quarters of New York state voters say their state government doesn't work.''
The Siena College poll also found Democratic Gov. David Paterson getting a favorable rating from 31 percent of New Yorkers, while 57 percent still consider him unfavorably. Those are his best numbers in the Siena poll since February.
Siena surveyed 626 voters from last Monday through Thursday. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.9 percentage points.
Quinnipiac surveyed 2,477 voters from June 16 through Sunday. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.
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