The new Washington Post-ABC News poll provides more astonishing evidence of exactly how self-destructive the House Republicans’ shutdown games have been, as an amazing 74 percent of Americans disapprove of these clowns.

And more than that, the poll shows that there’s a kind of ideological war going on within the Republican Party, as the remaining sane members are repelled by the tactics of the Tea Party crackpots.

An ideological split within the GOP accounts for the soft ratings for Republicans among their own party members. Some 63 percent of Republicans who describe themselves as “very conservative” approve of their members of Congress, using two weeks of combined polls. But approval falls below half among Republicans who are just “somewhat conservative,” with 48 percent approving and 49 percent disapproving.

The few Republicans who identify as moderate or liberal disapprove on balance by 53 percent to 42 percent approval of their own party, using combined data from two weeks of interviews.