Approval of Congress Matches Record Low

[sly_wolf 199]

http://thecaucus.blo...hes-record-low/

Congress faces historically low approval ratings as it wades into the debate over the $447 billion jobs package proposed by President Obama, with just 12 percent of Americans now approving of the way Congress is handling its job, matching its all-time low, recorded in October 2008 at the height of the economic crisis, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.

Voters are slightly more disapproving of the Republicans in Congress than they are of the Democrats, with just 19 percent approving of Republicans in Congress, compared with 28 percent that approve of their Democratic counterparts.

Republican voters are more dissatisfied with their own party representatives than are Democrats. Half of Republican voters say they disapprove of Republicans in Congress, while 43 percent of Democratic voters say they disapprove of Democrats in Congress. Independents are slightly less approving of Congressional Republicans than Congressional Democrats.

Only 6 percent of registered voters say that most members of Congress have earned re-election, while 84 percent say it's time to give someone new a chance, a historic low for the New York Times/CBS poll. Dissatisfaction with Congress runs deep across both parties, with more than 8 in 10 of both Republicans and Democrats saying it's time to elect new representatives.

In follow-up interviews, partisanship and bickering were given as major reasons for respondents' disapproval of Congress.

Nancy Lewis, a retiree living in San Clemente, Calif., said she has seen a slow degradation of the political system from when she grew up during the era of Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy and Richard M. Nixon. "While there were vigorous debates and some filibusters, generally, 40-some years ago there was more cooperation," she said. "Congress used to be able to compromise and come together to make decisions after a period of discussion."

A Democrat who grew up in conservative Orange County, in a family where politics were discussed often, Ms. Lewis says she and her friends lament what is happening to Congress. "Now I think that many Congress members are in it for the individual glory, they're in it for themselves, and not for the citizens of the United States," she said.

When pollsters asked about voters' own representatives in Congress, they expressed generally more positive or supportive views. But current public opinion has changed, with many now saying it's time for someone else to have a chance. Just 33 percent of voters say their own representative in Congress deserves to be re-elected, and 57 percent say it's time to elect someone else — another record level of dissatisfaction.

Democratic and independent voters are slightly more frustrated with their own representatives, with about 6 in 10 of each saying it's time for a new person. This isn't entirely surprising, with Republicans currently in control of the House. But nearly half of Republican voters also say their representative does not deserve re-election.

"They all seem great when they go out on the campaign trail — and then when they get in, they turn into a regular politician.They all tell us what we want to hear," said Steve DeMayo, a maintenance technician in Raymore, Mo. A Republican, Mr. DeMayo is disappointed with politicians' disconnect from their constituents, and wants a candidate who has successfully run a business or had other real world experience. "They get persuaded by the almighty dollar and don't listen to the American people about health care, or abortion, or gun control or immigration laws," Mr. DeMayo said.

Kathryn Westrich, an independent from Yorktown, Va., said she was tired of the partisan bickering in Congress. "They refuse to get along and compromise and get anything done. I think the partisan fighting has been going on a long time, but it's worse now." Ms. Westrich, 57, was a mail carrier for her local county, but has been unemployed for four years.

"I'd like to see a candidate who doesn't necessarily follow the party line, but who works for the good of the state that he or she works for," Ms. Westrich said. "And who won't waste taxpayer money on things we can do without — they need to prioritize better, like we do in our own homes."

The current dissatisfaction with Congress may or may not point to another "change" election in 2012. The 2006, 2008, and 2010 elections were all considered at the time to be referendums on voters' disapproval with things in Washington. But for some, like Ms. Lewis, another election may not change anything in the nation's capital.

"Politics was part of my life, and now it's just extremely disappointing," she said. "Genuinely concerned citizens who go to the voting booth don't have any choices. They have to decide between the lesser of two evils, and that's a pathetic place to be."

The latest New York Times/CBS News poll, the full results of which will be available at 6:30 p.m. ET on NYTimes.com, is based on nationwide telephone interviews conducted Sept. 10-15 with 1452 adults of whom 1356 are registered to vote. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus three percentage points for both groups.

The political system is broken! So who's fault is this and who can we point the finger at? Many seem to enjoy doing that which offers nothing constructive. Perhaps the current system needs to come to the brink of disaster or worse before anything will change.

Edited September 16, 2011 by sly_wolf

[slim 1,530]

They're doing such a great job. Why would their approval be so low?

[sly_wolf 199]

They're doing such a great job. Why would their approval be so low?

Yes, almost bordering treason.

[TBoneTX 45,998]

A busload of Congressmen ran off a rural Arkansas road and overturned in a ditch near a farmer's field. The farmer inspected the scene, then took a shovel and proceeded to bury the Congressmen.

The sheriff soon arrived, and he was astonished at what the farmer had done. "Were they ALL dead?" he asked the farmer.

"Well," said the farmer, "some of them said they wasn't, but you know how them politicians lie."