California voters souring on Democratic Congress, Field Poll finds (Pelosi tumbles to 39%)

[Kadie]

California voters souring on Democratic Congress, Field Poll finds
Zachary Coile, Chronicle Washington Bureau

Friday, August 24, 2007

California voters, disappointed that Congress has been unable to change policy in Iraq, are now giving federal lawmakers their lowest approval rating of the past decade, according to a Field Poll released today.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also is taking it on the chin. Her popularity with state voters has tumbled as Democrats and independents grow impatient with her party's inability to force the White House to start to bring home U.S. troops, the poll showed.

Just 20 percent of California voters approve of Congress' performance, while 66 percent disapprove. That's worse than the 23 percent approval rating state voters gave the Republican-led Congress in May 2006 before the GOP lost its decadelong control in the November elections. It's the lowest rating for Congress since the Field Poll started asking the question in 1996.

snip...
The Field Poll found a bright spot for California's two Democratic senators. While the approval ratings for Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer dipped slightly, they continue to receive better marks than the rest of Congress or the president.

Feinstein, who has long been among the most popular California elected officials, saw her job approval fall from 61 percent in March to 56 percent in the current poll. Boxer's support slipped from 54 to 48 percent.


more...
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/08/24/MNTSRO7DI.DTL&tsp=1

[marmar]

1. How can DiFi have a higher approval rating than Barbara Boxer?

What kind of fumes are they inhaling out in the Golden State?

[AlGore-08.com]

4. Because the state isn't uniformly blue - - LA and SF make it blue

In statewide and federal races.

Speaking as a Californian, this poll result does not surprise me. And it bodes poorly for us in 2008, on all levels. I'm just sayin'...

[Skidmore]

6. Ah, the myth of the left coast liberal...

The Republics were sure good with spreading that canard around. California is the state that elected Reagan and Schwartzenegger. Dare we mention David Drier and that idiot with the buzzcut, Rohrbacher?

[Captain Hilts]

2. Pelosi isn't voted in by 'the state', but by her district. DiFi has always been more popular ....

than Boxer. That's not new.

[frylock]

3. go figure..

but hey, what are you gonna do? vote for a repub?! the dems have the progressive voters by the balls.

[Tesha]

5. Not in Pelosi's district...

> the dems have the progressive voters by the balls.

Not in Pelosi's district, as you'll recall.

Tesha

[AlGore-08.com]

7. Actually out here we have high profile Green candidates in a lot of races

Every election cycle there are a number of semi-retired big name Hollywood actors - - all Greens - - who are pressured to run for statewide or even national office. Laugh if you want to, but if Warren Beatty ran for Governor against 99% of the Cali Dems, Beatty would win by a large margin.

The current Dem mayor of SF almost lost to a Green when he first ran. When the GOP staged the recall election against Gray Davis, the Greens actively ran their own candidate, because they did have a shot at taking the Governor's mansion in that race.

The threat of an election swinging chunk of progressive Dems going third party is always alive in Cali, and I would say in Oregon too.

[frylock]

8. i'm not laughing..

as an independant, I'll be taking a closer look at some of those third party candidates. i've grown tired of having my vote taken for granted.

[bob4460]

9. GO CINDY GO I think Nancy should go along with all incumbents