US Congress plumbs depths of unpopularity (at 14%)

[partylessinOhio]

US Congress plumbs depths of unpopularity
by Stephen Collinson
Fri Jun 22, 1:21 AM ET



WASHINGTON (AFP) - In fewer than six months, the Democratic-led US Congress has pulled off an unlikely and unenviable trick, becoming even less popular than President George W. Bush, polls show.


US President George W. Bush walks with Speaker of the House
Nancy Pelosi, D-CA, during the Congressional Picnic 19 June
on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC.
In fewer than six months, the Democratic-led US Congress
has pulled off an unlikely and unenviable trick, becoming
even less popular than Bush, polls show.

As Republicans and Democrats trade snide charges in the House of Representatives, and the Senate grinds to a near halt, Congress appears to voters to be getting little done, slowly.

According to a new Gallup poll released on Thursday, just 14 percent of Americans had a great deal, or quite a lot of confidence in Congress -- the venerable institution's lowest rating ever recorded by the polling firm.

The Gallup poll found US confidence in the presidency stood at 25 percent, while Bush's personal job approval ratings in the same poll sat at 32 percent. ...

"The American people are upset at us, Democrats and Republicans because we are not getting things done," said Democratic Senate Majority leader Harry Reid on Thursday.

"We have got to start legislating." ...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070622/pl_afp/uspoliticscongress_070622052152

Reid, you are a few days and a few dollars short with your statement.

This is the exact photo that Yahoo posted with this story. Madame Squeaker will rue the day she let * cozy up to her putting his paws on her while she smiled in his face.

[HereSince1628]

1. The people have no confidence in the Legislature because it's lost it's significance

The most important issue for the People is ending US military involvement in Iraq. I wouldn;t expect any other sort of approval rating for an institution that is impotent to actualize the People's priorities.

[Jim Warren]

2. What do we expect?

I have nothing against Pelosi personally and in fact was mildly enthused 11/06, to my chagrin she proves out to be just another washington player, in the same pockets and imbibed with the same prevailing courtier spirit. She is part of the problem, I guess you could find me in the 86%.

[Warpy]

3. Harry, check your war funding vote!

Congress enjoyed what was an historically high approval rating until that stinker got through.

The more Stupid gets what he wants, the lower the approval rating will be. Keep it up, Harry, and you'll succeed in keeping the whole government GOP in 2009 because Democrats will stay home on election day rather than vote for a bunch of jellyfish.

The fundies will determine the government again. Does any of us want that?

Harry, you're not the head of a struggling minority party in Congress, you're the head of the majority.

Start acting like it.

[earthside]

4. "Impeachment is off the table" ...

... that also was a stupid thing to say.

So, where are all these investigations going to go?

Even if impeachment turns out to be impractical, why telegraph to Bush and the radical Repugs that they are safe?

This Congress seems like it is aimless; what happened to a big agenda? They should be sending up a progressive piece of legislation for Bush to veto every single week.

Of course, we know what the problem is ... the addiction to big campaign contributions has made the Dems shy about taking on controversial issues. Despite the disdain for Bush around the country, he and Cheney and Rove are still calling the tune that Reid and Pelosi dance to ... still afraid that someone is going to call them a bad name.

And, the funding of the occupation was handled very badly.

It is the erosion of the liberal/progressive base that is responsible for the low Congressional approval ... until they stop thinking "Where else are they going to go?" and taking us for granted ... the Congressional Dems are just never going to grow a spine.

[OldschoolDem]

7. Calling for impeachment probably would make it worse

because it would look like the Democrats only care about gaining power rather than serving the people and if they spend 2 years trying to impeach a President that is gone in 2 years it looks pointless. If Bush is impeached Cheney will take over and it won't change a thing.

[realbluesky]

11. Impeachment is a duty

There you go. Worrying about what it looks like.
Can you imagine a prosecutor running for re-election who tells the electorate he is not going to prosecute any criminals because it would be pointless and not politically expedient.
My god! What a crock.
I have lost all respect for Pelosi. She is another bought and paid for political hack.

[demnan]

5. Maybe we should impeach Pelosi first

Steney Hoyer, for one, would like that.

[partylessinOhio]

6. If Congress doesn't show some backbone soon I believe all support

for Pelosi and Reid will disappear.

I support impeachment of Pelosi because she has already shown she is too weak to be third in line for the presidency. She made a deal with the Devil giving him a free pass by taking impeachment OFF THE TABLE. That was the most irresponsible statement that any politician could make.

By our constitution, impeachment is always a standing possibility when the president commits an impeachable offense.

[draft_mario_cuomo]

8. Wow. Isn't that worse than even Cheney? nt

[MasterDarkNinja]

9. Not as surprising when you think about it

When you think about it, I don't think it's as surprising that congress has such a low approval rating.

Who's congress been favoring with it's actions lately? It's all over the place, doing investigations in some areas but not really getting anything done from those investigations.

Debating unpopular and highly contraversial bills, and getting nothing passed, such as on immigration.

Successfully pushing through stuff that Bush's die hard supporters won't like, such as a minimum wage increase.

Disappointing the base on both sides with issues like Iraq's war funding.

Not getting much done since the power changed hands, rather just stopping what the old repuke majority would have gotten done that most would hate, or making it take longer to get done.

Really, just what group of people in America is going to say "I overwhelming support just about everything the new congress has done", they're all over the place, and people are demanding a lot from them.

All congress has really done to change it's approval rating is probably lose the repuke base's support, and gain only slightly in democrat and independent approval.

[underpants]

10. I think that the "bases" have become alive

the last thing THEY expected was for their base to actually get off the couch and do something about anything let alone going out and sitting on the border and all that has followed since. This was yet another perfect issue for them (abortion, gun control) that never goes away and is also never resolved.

The Dems must have thought we would be happy with the win and they could NOT do impeachment or end the war but they were wrong about that too. There was a great thread about all that HAS been done in this Congress already but that doesn't help things when two 900 pound gorillas are in the room.