26 Comments

• 1. Joe  |  November 20th, 2007 at 1:56 pm

  Let’s see… what are some of the possible reasons for low Congress ratings?

  Maybe because the Dems can’t get anything done because of minority fillibusters and blocking of bills?
  Maybe because people want the Dems to stand up more to the President and have only in very limited ways.
  Maybe because whatever the Dems have managed to pass has been vetoed by the President?

  The simple question of “Do you approve or disapprove of the job Congress has done” doesn’t really tell you anything other than people are fed up with Congress as a whole. That says nothing to the Dems are doing a bad job or the Repubs are to blame for lack of substance.

  Bush’s ratings however… that is a approve or disapprove vote for this Administration. I think that tells much more.

• 2. Parker  |  November 20th, 2007 at 1:59 pm

  I have a difficult time understanding the rationale behind touting the fact that the Bush’s popularity is a bit above Congress’. That’s like believing your favorite team had a good year because it finished just ahead of the team with the worst record in the league.

  So in other words, according to the American public, Bush is doing a poor job (as per his ratings) but that’s OK because Congress is doing a worse job.

  Maybe we should hold our elected officials to actually do a good job.

• 3. DougH  |  November 20th, 2007 at 2:06 pm

  Too funny..

  How about the Democrats are submitting Bills to Bush loaded with pork, which he tells them before hand he will veto.

  Democrats submitting military spending with terms and conditions for continued funding, that Bush told them beforehand he would veto.

  Democrats submit bill allowing for embryos for research.. and now we see that they are not required.

  Dems and Bush try to push through immigration reform for illegals working in the USA.

  Dems spend twice as much time on Iraq and military spending, then all other issues combined. Even though they never ran on a platform of setting withdrawl deadlines or cutting off funding if Bush did not agree, in the 2006 elections.

  (Not likely they would have control of Senate if Democrats had told voters upfront about what they intended to do)

  Democrats go elected saying they would end the pork barreling, special intersts groups/lobbyists and in reality have done exactly the oppostie.

  Maybe Congress gets such a low rating because the Democrats betrayed the voters in the last election.

• 4. AgentFear  |  November 20th, 2007 at 2:19 pm

  One has to admit the Congressional rating is poor.

  Why? I’ll tell you why.

  People are actually pissed off the nincompoop in office is still manipulating and scheming his way through office.

  They’re pissed because they WANT someone, ANYONE, to put an end to this nightmare of an administration.

  They WANT the dem’s to do something about it, and they haven’t, to all our dismay. I’m pissed too.

  Your seeing a reflection of the intolerance the American people have with Mr. McFlightsuit, his rethuglican minions, and the democratic enablers.

  When the dollars tanks, get ready for pitch forks and torches.

• 5. Joe  |  November 20th, 2007 at 2:30 pm

  Look, I didn’t spend a lot of time searching, but here is a link that will compare Dems approval versus repubs approval.

  http://www.pollingreport.com/congress.htm

  Take it for what it is worth, I’m not advocating this or debunking this, just providing data.

• 6. LiberalMind  |  November 20th, 2007 at 3:05 pm

  There are still too many Republicans in the Congress, hence Congress’ low approval rating.

• 7. sleepygene  |  November 20th, 2007 at 3:07 pm

  This is a bit off topic, but about this oh so popular President will the wingnuts be so happy that George may have known about the Plame affair invovling Rove/Libby and had Scot McClellan lie to the press about it?

  http://www.publicaffairsbooks.com/publicaffairsbooks-cgi-bin/display?book=9781586485566&view=excerpt

  Seems interesting. I guess Scotty never wants to work again.

• 8. sleepygene  |  November 20th, 2007 at 3:30 pm

  Though this is true about congress and the president it seems americans think more highly of democrats than republicans.

  http://www.gallup.com/poll/102745/Democratic-Partys-Image-More-Positive-Than-Republican-Partys.aspx

• 9. LiberalMind  |  November 20th, 2007 at 4:47 pm

  Can’t wait for ‘08

  Democratic America here it comes!

• 10. Retired Spook  |  November 20th, 2007 at 5:01 pm

  LiberalMind, do you have a plan B in case it doesn’t work out the way you hope?

• 11. Casper  |  November 20th, 2007 at 5:53 pm

  Matt,
  I find it kind of sad that you are bragging about a 32% job approval rate. If he ever gets it over 40% again are you going to throw a party?

• 12. Casper  |  November 20th, 2007 at 6:01 pm

  In reality, what the polls show is that neither the president nor congress are doing a very good job right now, at least in the opinion of the majority of the American people.

• 13. Retired Spook  |  November 20th, 2007 at 6:27 pm

  In reality, what the polls show is that neither the president nor congress are doing a very good job right now

  Casper, maybe there’s a ray of hope that the American people will throw a bunch of them out next year.

• 14. Casper  |  November 20th, 2007 at 6:32 pm

  Retired Spook,
  One can only hope.

• 15. LiberalMind  |  November 20th, 2007 at 6:33 pm

  Well, you know, Spook, I have “THE” Math, eh.

• 16. neocon  |  November 20th, 2007 at 7:38 pm

  I am sensing denial and desperation amongst the Dems.

  October Surprise?

• 17. Jay Gaultieri  |  November 20th, 2007 at 11:48 pm

  There’s a palpable of sense of doom and gloom out there. I see it every day in my job—the dollar is turning into toilet paper, the stock market keeps dropping, the subprime mortgage crisis is spreading to other industries and oil closed today at $98 a barrel. A weak dollar used to mean exports would increase, but we don’t make anything anymore.

  It’s not something to crow about for political points. The economy is replacing the war in Iraq as the biggest issue in the public’s mind. The public is furious at the Dems, who were swept into power only because the voters wanted to stick it to Bush, and the President who has done nothing but extend a big middle finger at the American people for a year now. The way the Dems cave to Bush over the fear card shows just how out of touch the Federal government is with those of us outside the Beltway.

  Thing is, if you only got your news from the right wing blogosphere you would NEVER have heard of the weak dollar or high oil prices or the mortgage crisis, although you would have certainly felt it in your pocketbook. But I guess a woman getting naked in Playboy is far more important.

• 18. liberalT  |  November 21st, 2007 at 2:41 am

  Its true - congress is very unpopular. And guess what - the REPUBLICANS are the LEAST popular by far. Further - the American public blames the lack of action in congress to a large part on BUSH

  http://www.pollingreport.com/congress.htm#misc

  wow you guys are really a lost cause. The fact of the matter is that any which way you slice it Bush and the republicans are by far less popular than the democrats. But keep up thinking of elaborate reasons why up is down and black is white. I know you guys never let a little thing called reality step into your ideologically slanted view…

• 19. plainjane  |  November 21st, 2007 at 8:13 am

  15. neocon | November 20th, 2007 at 7:38 pm
  October Surprise?

  Keep sipping that Hannity and Limbaugh kool-aid. I believe these political geniuses had Repugs picking up seats in the 04 election.

  Americans now know it takes a 10 vote Democratic majority in the Senate to get us out of Iraq. They will do the right thing in 08

• 20. plainjane  |  November 21st, 2007 at 8:14 am

  06 election

• 21. DougH  |  November 21st, 2007 at 9:59 am

  The only survey people who count are the independants, seeing DEMS and GOP stick along party lines for the most part.

  And seeing over 70% of Independants think that there is no difference or Congress is worse since the mid term elections, I wouldn’t be overly confident being a Democrat presidential candidate running in 2008.

  You won’t be able to blame the last 2 years on Bush

• 22. neocon  |  November 21st, 2007 at 10:17 am

  Jay,

  Read the following and then repent.

  Increase in Exports Narrows Trade Deficit

  International Trade
  The trade deficit narrowed in August, falling $1.4 billion to $57.6 billion, a 2.4% decrease. Exports increased while imports decreased, improving the overall trade balance. Exports rose 0.4% to $138.3 billion as imports fell 0.4% to $196.0 billion. The goods deficit with China dropped 5.4% to $22.5 billion but still accounts for 33% of our trade deficit. The weaker dollar–which makes imports more expensive and exports cheaper–along with the continued revaluation of the Yuan should help narrow the trade deficit going forward.

  Jane,

  Hannity and Limbaugh actually predicted the the Dems would probably gain the majority in ‘06.

  I swear, the dishonesty and the denial on the left is astounding. I actually heard on MSNBC the other day that the “civil war in Iraq was out of control”. Unbelievable.

• 23. liberalT  |  November 21st, 2007 at 11:11 am

  neocon - while violence is down since its peak in 2006 in Iraq. There are still 1000 people dying every month because of horrible sectarian violence. I have heard people describe that as a “bed of roses” - now what is unbelievable again?

• 24. neocon  |  November 21st, 2007 at 2:04 pm

  libT,

  Just FYI

  Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer has again taken aim at Labor’s pledge to pull combat troops out of Iraq, saying it would be “political stupidity” to do it anytime soon.

  Downer said the US-led coalition was finally “winning” the war in Iraq. To withdraw troops when progress was now being made would be madness, he said.

  “It would be madness. Let us make sure that now we are winning in Iraq, we do win (and) we don’t snatch defeat out of the jaws of victory by political stupidity.”

  http://www.theage.com.au/news/World/Iraq-pullout-now-would-be-stupid-Downer/2007/11/21/1195321850727.html

• 25. Magnum Serpentine  |  November 21st, 2007 at 6:50 pm

  A couple of statements:

  1 “(From Gallop)The Nov. 2-4, 2007, poll finds 54% of Americans saying they have a favorable opinion of the Democratic Party, while 37% have an unfavorable opinion. Ratings of the Republican Party are much more negative, with 40% favorable and 50% unfavorable.” End quote

  2. The reason the so-called trade deficit fell was because george w. bush has driven the dollar to its lowest level ever. This makes it far more expensive to trade with the USA. And that has caused many of the citizens to find things are much more expensive than before.

• 26. liberalT  |  November 22nd, 2007 at 2:27 am

  neo - the Australian PM has always supported the war in Iraq from the very beginning through now even as 90% of Australian citizens oppose it. But keep on making up reasons why you can ignore democracy at the same time as pretending to promote it…