Only 22 percent of Americans identify themselves as Republicans

The headline is not surprising, given the insane way the Republican party now presents itself.  The extremist far right wing Bubble Dwellers (BD's) have done in the GOP, but they don't realize it and actually think most Americans agree with them. Three new polls tell the story (but don't expect the BD's to believe them -- they live in their own world, encased in a Big, Thick Plastic Bubble, through which no sound of truth can penetrate).  For the rest of the country, the following news stories tell what the majority is thinking:

For the first time, a majority of Americans now say the Republican Party is too extreme, according to a poll released Thursday by CNN/ORC.

Fifty-three percent of people, including 22 percent of Republicans, said the GOP's views and policies have pushed them beyond the mainstream. The number is up dramatically from previous years. In 2010, fewer than 40 percent thought the party was too extreme.

Democrats were considered to be a "generally mainstream" party by 57 percent in the new poll. 

Americans also say that they have far more confidence in President Barack Obama than in congressional Republicans, and that Republicans should compromise more in finding bipartisan solutions.

HuffPost Pollster, which tracks all publicly available polling, puts Obama's approval rating at about 53 percent, with about 43 percent disapproving. Congressional job approval hovers at just under 14 percent -- a high for the year.

According to two other new polls, most Americans are in favor of President Obama’s approach to key issues like the budget, gun control and immigration.

A USA Today/Pew Research poll released Thursday shows Obama with a strong lead over Republicans in Congress on gun policies (45-39 percent), the budget deficit (45-38 percent), immigration (50-33 percent) and even climate change (47-26 percent).

“On many of the issues, President Obama has staked out positions that seem to be closer to the public’s thinking than the positions Republicans have staked out,” said Michael Dimock, director of the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, in a statement on the poll. “The challenge for him is in building the public’s sense of immediacy on some of these issues, particularly on climate change and guns.”

In addition, the poll finds that only 22 percent of Americans even identify themselves as Republicans, almost a record low.

A Bloomberg poll from Wednesday had similar findings, with Obama’s approval ratings reaching a three-year high at 55 percent, while just 35 percent have a favorable view of Republicans. From Bloomberg: