Congress approval rating sinks to new historic lows (this is scary)

[lovuian]

http://rt.com/usa/congress-new-approval-low-727/

Americans’ confidence in Congress has reached a historic low, with just 10 percent of respondents in a new poll claiming a favorable opinion of the federal legislature. Congress now ranks as the most unpopular societal institution in the US.

Confidence in Congress has been on the decline ever since Gallup started measuring it in 1973 – a year when 42 percent of Americans claimed a favorable opinion. The latest Gallup poll shows that only 10 percent of Americans have confidence in Congress, which is down from 13 percent in 2012.

“Partisan bickering, gridlock, an inability to get things done – that’s what Americans are complaining about,” Frank Newport, Gallup’s editor-in-chief, told Bloomberg News.

The number ranks “the legislative body last on a list of 16 societal institutions for the fourth straight year,” Gallup writes. “This is the lowest level of confidence Gallup has found, not only for Congress, but for any institution on record.”


I think people from both parties have had it! 10 % does that mean 90 % have no confidence in Congress

[Ed Suspicious]

1. The problem is that voters, while hating the job congress does, think their congressman is part of

the solution and not the problem.

[lovuian]

2. How does an institution survive when 90% of the population is supposedly

represents ....doesn't have any confidence in them

It reflects that the system of representation by the people is broken

this is what brings on revolutions

[Ed Suspicious]

3. Single member districts, gerrymandering, incumbent advantage (warchests) are all problems with the

system that has us in such a horrid place.

[Zoeisright]

23. Not to mention voter stupidity.

It takes a real lack of brain power to keep electing the same fucking assholes who are screwing you over.

[Kablooie]

10. Why does the population keep re-electing the same representatives they hate?

A revolution against Congress is a waste of time.

The revolution should be against the imbeciles that keep electing idiots who hate government.

[nadinbrzezinski]

16. I will give you an example

And it is systemic.

Daryll Issa's district...it is, last time I checked +22 R.

It really matters not if the republicans run Issa or a gerbil. As long as it has an R begins the name it's fine will get reelected. I fear not even getting caught with a live boy will wreck that career.

And democrats have districts just as badly gerimandered as well. Davis's district comes to mind.

[Kablooie]

17. What we need are some charismatic Democrats who run as Tea Party Republicans.

Then vote as Democrats as soon as they get to Washington.

[Enthusiast]

24. Your's is probably the only viable solution.

Seriously.

[HiPointDem]

27. um, the 90% disapproval includes democrats.

[reusrename]

35. Of course I like that idea, but who will count the votes?

We do need to fix the vapor voting problem.

[bike man]

20. "The Distinguished Gentleman", an Eddie Murphy movie, explains this. People vote

for the name they know. That was the slogan Mr Murphy's character used "Vote for ....., the name you know".

[99Forever]

4. Not so much.

My Congresscritter is a piece of shit, that if she were to tip over tomorrow, I'd make a plan to go dance on her grave.

[timdog44]

8. Right.

It is all the other congressmen/congresswomen that I don't vote for. Speaks to term limits.

[xtraxritical]

14. Term limits will only make it worse. The politician will not be beholden to voters at all.

[timdog44]

33. And I only mentioned it

because I don't know exactly what I think on this myself. Only thing is they are not beholden to the voters now. They are beholden to the people/corporations who finance them..

[xtraxritical]

36. Term limits will reinforce the "money" bond.

[bike man]

21. There is a procedure in place to limit terms, but the general population does not use it. Every

two years the voters choose not to limit the terms of most incumbents.

It's pretty much our fault.

Surely no one expects the lawmakers themselves to pass laws limiting their own access to wealth and power.

[timdog44]

34. I understand what you are saying,

but if there is only one Democrat running, the only other choice is to vote for Re-Re-Re, I can't say the word.

And in a way it is our fault, but there are not a lot of options.

And no, I don't expect the politicians to limit their personal wealth and power. It why we should be allowed to put things on the ballot if enough people sign a petition to do so.

[ruffburr]

5. I hate to be over optimistic-

But maybe people are actually paying attention for once,Or is it just that the right wingers have worn out their welcome? Whichever It's all good. Sure hope thats the deal

[kentuck]

6. Good thing the Democrats polled at 20% ...

or the approval rating could have been 0%...

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

7. What's scary is almost all the same assholes will be returned to office next year

"It's not my guy who's the problem!"

[alp227]

9. Maybe conservatives are RIGHT about voting out all incumbents from the House next election.

(I'm correcting the common "VOTE OUT ALL INCUMBENTS" bumper sticker slogan because the House is every 2 years while Senate every 6.)

Given how the PATRIOT Act got near unanimous passage in Congress, if we Americans had a conscience back then we would have raised HELL at town halls and thrown 'em all out. Sadly many Americans lose perspective when they vote every 2 years: "I like my member of Congress but hate the system."

[Amonester]

11. Approved by the 10% profiteer$ only...

Not the bottom 90%...

[JayhawkSD]

12. I have said this before, and I will say it again

This statistic is nonsense. If it was true, the members of Congress running for reelection would not win 85% of the time. We cannot say we disapprove of Congress by a margin of 90:10 and then reelect them by a margin of 85:15.

When congressional representatives are losing reelection bids 90% of the time then I will believe that 90% of the public dislikes Congress.

Talk is cheap. Action speaks.

[LuvNewcastle]

26. "Talk is cheap. Action speaks."

The older I get, the more I see the wisdom in that statement. America is like a drug addict who says he's going to quit at the end of every day and then, as soon as he gets up to start the new day, he heads down to the crack house for one more hit. When people put down the remotes to their teevees and put away their X boxes and take out their earbuds and begin to pay attention to the world around them, and when they take to the streets, I might be a little bit interested in what they have to say. Until then, they have as much credibility as the crooks they keep electing.

[HiPointDem]

28. most people don't vote, and those that do are heavily weighted toward wealth.

[Apophis]

13. Why is it scary?

Congress is doing a horse shit job. I'm not surprised by this at all.

[BlueStreak]

15. The first person that puts together a positive agenda with a set of real, tangible commitments

will sweep the table. We need the 2014 version of Gingrich's Contract with America.

[newfie11]

18. That 10% are probably family members nt

[BainsBane]

19. 10% seems high

[Enthusiast]

22. The American people do not like it when you (congress)

completely ignore their wishes.

TPP? Nope, we don't want it. Does it matter? Fuck no, it matters not one iota.

[n2doc]

25. Nothing will change until the R's are out of power

Approval could go to 1%, but unless enough R's lose their jobs in 2014, they will continue to obstruct and do their best to destroy the legislative branch. And until people understand that, and vote them out, nothing will change.

Why people vote for a person who says "I hate this job! I hate the place I am trying to work for and want to diminish it or wreck it! Vote for me!" is beyond me. They always say that Government should be run like a biz, yet no biz would hire anyone who was committed to shrinking its size and preventing it from functioning.

[graham4anything]

29. Once again, the 80-20 will render the extremists obsolete at the voting booth

and America will again be back to normal like it was for over 200 years, with legislation moving FORWARD
and not being obstructed.

Like FDR and Lincoln and LBJ got through (and like Lincoln, LBJ needed THE OTHER PARTY to get things passed and get past the extremists).

[MNBrewer]

38. So when is this Glorious New Age going to dawn, graham?

[graham4anything]

39. 2017 to 2018

I really thought it would have happened in 2013, but this obstructionism nobody thought would happen

and as more and more it appears some of the republican people (especially women) hate their extremists republican leaders as much as we do.

And the mainstream republican leaders all are in fear of the tea party ones, but we shall see.
And I seriously think, should we lose the senate somehow in 2014, a few repubs will switch parties, like Jeffords did, giving the dems
back the majority (which is why Markey and Booker are so important at this juncture in time.

[MNBrewer]

40. SO just so I understand what you're saying

You think there will be an alignment of Congress members where 80% of them will vote for legislation while 20% will vote against it, and that this legislation will be progressive in nature?

For example, there will be a consistant 80 votes in the Senate for legislation, even though the party representation is close to 50:50?

I don't quite see how that adds up.

[graham4anything]

42. People will vote for the legislation, not the party in a few years

We don't need 80 on our side. Just say 60 plus 20 or 55 plus 25.

It happened with all other times in the past, and much of the greatest legislation passed with a lot of help from the other side
(LBJ had to overcome the Wallace dixiecrats, Lincoln the other way had to get support.)

And the courts will switch, as long as there is not another republican in at least the next 8-16 years (and if there are 2 more democratic presidents, it should be 7 to 2 or 8 to 1 by that time.

People don't like the inaction, and IMHO Obama ran on uniting the country in that sense, more than the parties themselves.

And with the demographic changes, the whole southwest will be democratic, and the deep south is going to flip too.
The republican tea party voter is not going to be a viable factor (which is why any fracture now can prolong the inevitable,
stop immigration reform, stop gay marriage, stop all the social issues and bring us back.

It is how Ted Kennedy got stuff through little by little even when Reagan was President.

but it depends on the democratic party winning the presidency now, and in at least 2016, winning the house and senate, but the house will be more important in 16.

(and that does mean voting for anyone on the party ticket.

And I truly believe women will vote in record numbers for Hillary, perhaps 65-35 or 60-40, but with numbers like that it will be
a mega landslide, along with all the other demographic groups for the democratic party.

And that includes kids who are women of voting age by 2016.

And in the red states(especially Texas where Ann Richards showed it was possible.)


and it only takes 18 to flip, and those 18 don't have to be in deep red states you know.
They can be in republican districts in NY or Illionois or anywhere.

[no_hypocrisy]

30. Yet the incumbents will be re-elected in 2014.

[MNBrewer]

41. I'm going to vote to re-elect mine, that's for sure

Keith Ellison can have this district as long as he wants as far as I'm concerned.

[Renew Deal]

31. Getting the do nothing republicans out is a first step to improving these numbers

Why elect people to government who don't believe in government?

[CanonRay]

32. You know how they could fix this in a hurry?

Repeal Obama care again, and then cut funding to Acorn again! Brilliant!



Do I really need the sarcasm thingy?

[stillwaiting]

37. “Partisan bickering, gridlock, an inability to get things done" is the excuse...

... given to the riff-raff for why things continue to get worse for the 99%.

It ensures that the status quo continues apace.

In addition, they do get things done in Congress, and the bi-partisan crap that gets done continues to further the interests of the wealthy elite and the multinational corporations at the expense of the 99%.

Almost everything that is bi-partisan these days is not good (overall) for average working-class and poorer Americans. It must take complete sociopaths to be able to be Congresscritters and do (and not do) the things they do to the American people.

Finally, elected Democrats should be able to crucify the Republican Party in order to secure large majorities for decades, but they too are corrupt and can't do it (or won't do it).