Why Low Congress Approval Rating Isn't Good News For GOP By MARC McDONALD http://www.beggarscanbechoosers.com/2007/07/why-low-congress-approval-rating-isnt.html Lately, the Republicans have been gloating over the fact that the Democratically led Congress has a low approval rating.
But if you stop and think about it, the GOP really has little reason to celebrate. First of all, as Gallup has pointed out, Congress' approval ratings have been consistently low for decades---with only two exceptions: the Watergate era and in 1986 (when Congress' approval rating was at 40 percent). Indeed, the mainstream media has been irresponsible in its lack of context for failing to mention this fact in reporting on Congress' recent low approval numbers. The fact is, pollsters have long noted that the American public has a dim view of Congress as a whole (but they often have a much higher opinion of their own local lawmakers). It's important to remember the reason that Congress has a low approval rating these days. Is it because the public disapproves of the lawmakers' efforts in the Congress to raise minimum wage and other Democratic legislative initiatives? Nope, that's not the reason. In fact, polls have consistently shown that the public supports raising the minimum wage. In fact, as Michael Moore pointed out in his book, Dude, Where's My Country? the majority of the American public agrees with the Democrats on most of the top domestic issues of our time. These range from keeping abortion legal to promoting civil rights to protecting the environment to stronger controls on firearms. Indeed, polls consistently show that a majority of the American public is further to the left than most Democratic politicians on many issues, such as health care. For example, 80 percent of Americans believe that health insurance should be provided equally to everyone in the nation. The bottom line is that, if the Republicans take a good, hard look at the reason why Americans are fed up with this Congress, it's actually bad news for the GOP, not the Democrats. The reality is, Americans are sick and tired of the war in Iraq--and they're fed up with the stumbling efforts in Congress to bring an end to this fiasco. And try as they may to distance themselves from George W. Bush, the Republicans are going to have a difficult time distancing themselves from the Iraq War. After all, the overwhelming majority of the remaining Iraq War supporters in this country are Republicans. On Dec 28, 7:52 am, Travis <[email protected]> wrote: > The approval rating for Congress is for Congress AS A WHOLE. And is > somewhere below whale shit which lies on the bottom of the ocean. And they > dont deserve for it to be that high. > > On Sun, Dec 28, 2008 at 6:48 AM, mike [never forget] 532 < > > > > > > [email protected]> wrote: > > > not the congress the Republicans in the congress ! > > > On Dec 28, 7:44 am, Ohio mark <[email protected]> wrote: > > > and yet murky, the President has much higher approval ratings then the > > > dem controlled congress. ironic isn't it. > > > > On Dec 28, 4:36 am, "mike [never forget] 532" > > > > <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > let me guess in your childish way you were trying to insult me . nice > > > > try not even close but hey for someone of your limited intelligence > > > > not to bad . not one word about the 75% of Americans who can't wait > > > > for boy george to get out of our house but then that is to be > > > > expected from your kind . > > > > > On Dec 27, 2:44 pm, Ohio mark <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > what flavor koolaid you drinkin today murky? spikin it with a little > > > > > wild turkey? > > > > > > On Dec 27, 7:23 am, rigsy03 <[email protected]> wrote:> The > > Democrats I know are weathy and contributed to Obama- one has a > > > > > > photo with him, in fact, after a primary fund raiser. My mother > > used > > > > > > to think S had a perfect life- but she hasn't. She married two rich > > > > > > drunks. Her latest lives with his mistress. > > > > > > > On Dec 27, 4:59 am, "mike [never forget] 532" > > > > > > lavor of koolaid you deinkin today murky> > > > > > > > <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > > an immediate halt to the government buying from companies with > > > > > > > factories overseas will bring an immediate surge in money and > > jobs for > > > > > > > American ! > > > > > > > > On Dec 27, 5:56 am, rigsy03 <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > > > > Obama cannot create national treasure lost out of a hat. He is > > just > > > > > > > > going to say he can in the preacherly prose he has learned so > > well. > > > > > > > > > On Dec 27, 4:44 am, "mike [never forget] 532" > > > > > > > > > <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > > > > with the Obama new deal we will roll back the bush depression > > and > > > > > > > > > return to the Clinton prosperity once again . > > > > > > > > > > On Dec 27, 5:37 am, rigsy03 <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > Wait for the numbers after eight years of Obama. Hope you > > enjoy his > > > > > > > > > > recession/depression. > > > > > > > > > > > On Dec 26, 1:49 pm, "mike [never forget] 532" > > > > > > > > > > > <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > Poll: 75% glad Bush is donehttp:// > >www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/12/26/bush.poll/index.html?eref=rss_... > > > > > > > > > > > (CNN) -- A new national poll suggests that three out of > > four Americans > > > > > > > > > > > feel President Bush's departure from office is coming not > > a moment too > > > > > > > > > > > soon. > > > > > > > > > > > > Twenty-eight percent of those polled say President Bush > > is the worst > > > > > > > > > > > president in U.S. history. > > > > > > > > > > > > Seventy-five percent of those questioned in a CNN/Opinion > > Research > > > > > > > > > > > Corp. survey released Friday said they're glad Bush is > > going; 23 > > > > > > > > > > > percent indicated they'll miss him. > > > > > > > > > > > > "Earlier this year, Bush scored some of the lowest > > presidential > > > > > > > > > > > approval ratings we've seen in half a century, so it's > > understandable > > > > > > > > > > > that the public is eager for a new president to step in," > > said Keating > > > > > > > > > > > Holland, CNN polling director. > > > > > > > > > > > > CNN senior political analyst Bill Schneider added, "As > > President Bush > > > > > > > > > > > prepares to leave office, the American public has a > > parting thought: > > > > > > > > > > > Good riddance. At least that's the way three-quarters > > feel." > > > > > > > > > > > > The portion who say they won't miss Bush is 24 percentage > > points > > > > > > > > > > > higher than the 51 percent who said they wouldn't miss > > President Bill > > > > > > > > > > > Clinton when he left office in January 2001. Forty-five > > percent of > > > > > > > > > > > those questioned at that time said they would miss > > Clinton. > > > > > > > > > > > > The poll indicates that Bush compares poorly with his > > presidential > > > > > > > > > > > predecessors, with 28 percent saying that he's the worst > > ever. Forty > > > > > > > > > > > percent rate Bush's presidency as poor, and 31 percent > > say he's been a > > > > > > > > > > > good president. > > > > > > > > > > > > Only a third of those polled said they want Bush to > > remain active in > > > > > > > > > > > public life after he leaves the White House. That 33 > > percent figure is > > > > > > > > > > > 22 points lower than those in 2001 who wanted Bill > > Clinton to retain a > > > > > > > > > > > public role. > > > > > > > > > > > > Don't Miss > > > > > > > > > > > Iranians toss shoes Bush posters > > > > > > > > > > > Questions linger after Bush withdraws pardon > > > > > > > > > > > Poll: 23 percent call Cheney worst vice president ever > > > > > > > > > > > "It's been like a failed marriage," Schneider said. > > > > > > > > > > > > "Things started out well. When President Bush first took > > office in > > > > > > > > > > > 2001, more than 60 percent saw him as strong and > > decisive. That > > > > > > > > > > > impression was confirmed after the September 11th > > attacks. The public > > > > > > > > > > > still saw Bush as strong and decisive when he took office > > a second > > > > > > > > > > > time in 2005. > > > > > > > > > > > > "But no more. The public has completely lost confidence > > in this > > > > > > > > > > > president," Schneider said. > > > > > > > > > > > > Bush has dropped on a number of measures, but possibly > > the biggest is > > > > > > > > > > > that only 20 percent say he inspires confidence, Holland > > said. > > > > > > > > > > > > "That's an important figure when the country is facing > > its biggest > > > > > > > > > > > economic crisis in a generation," he added. > > > > > > > > > > > > When running for the White House in the 2000 presidential > > campaign, > > > > > > > > > > > Bush promised to be a uniter and not a divider. But 82 > > percent of poll > > > > > > > > > > > respondents felt that Bush did not unite the country, > > compared with 17 > > > > > > > > > > > percent who said he did. > > > > > > > > > > > > "The vast majority of Americans believe he betrayed his > > promise to > > > > > > > > > > > unite the country," Schneider said. "He took a country > > that was > > > > > > > > > > > divided under President Clinton and he divided it worse." > > > > > > > > > > > > Only 27 percent of those questioned in the poll approve > > of the way > > > > > > > > > > > Bush is handling his job as president; 72 percent > > disapprove. > > > > > > > > > > > > "President Bush's job approval rating has been at or > > below freezing > > > > > > > > > > > since the beginning of the year," Schneider said. "The > > current 27 > > > > > > > > > > > percent approval rating is one of the lowest ratings for > > any > > > > > > > > > > > president, ever."- Hide quoted text - > > > > > > > > > > > - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text - > > > > > > > > > > - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text - > > > > > > > > > - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text - > > > > > > > > - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text - > > > > > > - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text - > > > > - Show quoted text - > > -- > *~@):~{>- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text - --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. * Read the latest breaking news, and more. -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
