A first in the history of modern political opinion polling

[Okla-homey]

My question is, do most folks think Congress is an arm of the W White House, or are they just generally frustrated with politicians? Or maybe its gas prices?

What say you?


Congressional Approval Falls to Single Digits for First Time Ever

Tuesday, July 08, 2008

The percentage of voters who give Congress good or excellent ratings has fallen to single digits for the first time in Rasmussen Reports tracking history. This month, just 9% say Congress is doing a good or excellent job. Most voters (52%) say Congress is doing a poor job, which ties the record high in that dubious category.

Last month, 11% of voters gave the legislature good or excellent ratings. Congress has not received higher than a 15% approval rating since the beginning of 2008.

The percentage of Democrats who give Congress positive ratings fell from 17% last month to 13% this month. The number of Democrats who give Congress a poor rating remained unchanged. Among Republicans, 8% give Congress good or excellent ratings, up just a point from last month. Sixty-five percent (65%) of GOP voters say Congress is doing a poor job, down a single point from last month.

Voters not affiliated with either party are the most critical of Congressional performance. Just 3% of those voters give Congress positive ratings, down from 6% last month. Sixty-three percent (63%) believe Congress is doing a poor job, up from 57% last month.

Just 12% of voters think Congress has passed any legislation to improve life in this country over the past six months. That number has ranged from 11% to 13% throughout 2008. The majority of voters (62%) say Congress has not passed any legislation to improve life in America.

Voters hold little positive sentiment about the future. Just 41% find it at least somewhat likely that Congress will address important problems facing our nation in the near future, while 55% find this unlikely.

Despite these negative attitudes towards Congress, Democrats continue to enjoy a double digit lead on the Generic Congressional Ballot.

Most voters (72%) think most members of Congress are more interested in furthering their own political careers. Just 14% believe members are genuinely interested in helping people.

A separate Rasmussen survey found that half of all voters believe America’s best days are in the past. However, another survey found that 64% of voters also believe that the world would be a better place if more countries were similar to the United States.

[mdklatt]

My question is, do most folks think Congress is an arm of the W White House, or are they just generally frustrated with politicians? Or maybe its gas prices?


Some of B, but mostly C. Heaven forbid Americans actually blame ourselves for anything.

All politicians suck! Except for the guy I voted for, of course.

I cannot believe that Congress won't do anything about gas prices. It's costing me a fortune to fill up my Excursion.

[tommieharris91]

Maybe everyone just hates government.

[Hamhock]

Ron Paul 2008

[mdklatt]

Maybe everyone just hates government.

Too bad nobody nobody realizes that we are the government. Don't keep reelecting these twats and expecting different results.

[mikeelikee]

Government "of the people, by the people, and for the people" seems only a pipedream these days. Now, it's pretty obvious they believe it's "government of the politicians, by the politicians, and for the politicians", and the people be damned.

We need to rise up in righteous indignation and take the government back, as is our right. The main problem seems to be, we have created a large entitlement class that will resist that movement fiercely.

[Frozen Sooner]

Well, I'll tell ya-when Congress comes in promising to stand up to an autocratic President then rolls over in voting away part of the Bill of Rights, it tends to **** people off.

[Hamhock]

Government "of the people, by the people, and for the people" seems only a pipedream these days. Now, it's pretty obvious they believe it's "government of the politicians, by the politicians, and for the politicians", and the people be damned.

We need to rise up in righteous indignation and take the government back, as is our right. The main problem seems to be, we have created a large entitlement class that will resist that movement fiercely.

Chuck Baldwin 2008

[mdklatt]

We need to rise up in righteous indignation and take the government back, as is our right. The main problem seems to be, we have created a large entitlement class that will resist that movement fiercely.

Lobbyists?

[Harry Beanbag]

All politicians suck!


You should have stopped here instead of going off on one of your regularly scheduled "everybody is an idiot except me" rants.

[RUSH LIMBAUGH is my clone!]

New congressional approval ratings:

http://video.newsmax.com/?assetId=V2612368&s=al&promo_code=6594-1

[Frozen Sooner]

Maybe, just maybe, you should go ahead and look on the first page to see if there's already a thread dealing with this.

[Sooner_Havok]

Damn, he has Homey on ignore too :eek:

[RUSH LIMBAUGH is my clone!]

Maybe, just maybe, you should go ahead and look on the first page to see if there's already a thread dealing with this.The title of this thread where you moved my thread is quite different from the subject of mine, so it didn't jump out at me. I'm sure you realize that, but I guess things might be a little slow in Anchorage, now?(thanks for your "help" with the thread)

[Frozen Sooner]

I'm sure you realize that a thread about a first in the history of opinion polling started today might have something to do with a record low approval rating, but I guess you think that until you hear it on Rush's show everyone else is in the dark on it.

[mdklatt]

You should have stopped here instead of going off on one of your regularly scheduled "everybody is an idiot except me" rants.

It doesn't take a whole lot of smarts on my part to point out the obvious, does it? Why are approval ratings of politicians so low yet the reelection rates of incumbents so high? Why do people keep calling for term limits? We already have term limits, they're called elections. If we're fed up with the politicians we have, we need to put our vote where our mouth is. Vote for the challenger, even if he has the wrong letter next to his name. Approval ratings don't mean squat if the incumbent knows he has the election in the bag. I think we're seeing a change, though. Republican incumbents are running scared even in solidly red states. That's good in the long run whether you're a Democrat or a Republican. We need accountability from politicians. No more debating about steroids in baseball when there are real problems to address.

[RUSH LIMBAUGH is my clone!]

I'm sure you realize that a thread about a first in the history of opinion polling started today might have something to do with a record low approval rating, but I guess you think that until you hear it on Rush's show everyone else is in the dark on it.Sure thing! BTW he DID discuss the pressure some democrat congressmen are feeling from their constituents, and felt that courageous conservatives, if there are any, would have a successful campaign if they focused on the contrast between the dems and themselves, as far as their willingness for new oil production.

[Sooner_Havok]

I'm sure you realize that a thread about a first in the history of opinion polling started today might have something to do with a record low approval rating, but I guess you think that until you hear it on Rush's show everyone else is in the dark on it.

:D :D :D

[Sooner_Havok]

Hey Frozen, how much land is open to oil companies that they aren't making use of right now?

[Harry Beanbag]

It doesn't take a whole lot of smarts on my part to point out the obvious, does it? Why are approval ratings of politicians so low yet the reelection rates of incumbents so high? Why do people keep calling for term limits? We already have term limits, they're called elections. If we're fed up with the politicians we have, we need to put our vote where our mouth is. Vote for the challenger, even if he has the wrong letter next to his name. Approval ratings don't mean squat if the incumbent knows he has the election in the bag. I think we're seeing a change, though. Republican incumbents are running scared even in solidly red states. That's good in the long run whether you're a Democrat or a Republican. We need accountability from politicians. No more debating about steroids in baseball when there are real problems to address.

Do you really believe this? Aren't you the one that always complains that your vote doesn't mean anything in Oklahoma? Maybe that was JM. Anyway, we are not the government, the politicians are. Most of us don't particularly give a **** what happens in Washington because it so rarely affects us individually and we are glad of that. Our government is corrupt and is full of corrupt career politicians, many of which have never even held down a real job. The politicians and the media have so successfully shoved the two party system down our throats that there really is no alternative. There is no way that we will ever be unified in the polling booth enough to do anything about it. And that's just those of us who pay attention to this crap, most only care about who's getting dumped on the Bachelor tonight.

That is why the 2nd amendment is so almighty important, there may come a day when we choose to invoke that right to the fullest.

You can say what everybody should and shouldn't do, but in the end your opinion means just as much as the 80 year old lady in Chickasha that sends her Social Security checks to Billy Graham or the 35 year old unemployed dude in Tulsa that thinks W blew up the WTC.

[Hamhock]

Chuck Baldwin 2008

[mdklatt]

Aren't you the one that always complains that your vote doesn't mean anything in Oklahoma?

Presidential vote, not congressional. It's a small difference, but at least I feel I have some control over who my representative is. Not so much the senators, but that has nothing to do with the system.



Anyway, we are not the government, the politicians are. Most of us don't particularly give a **** what happens in Washington because it so rarely affects us individually and we are glad of that. Our government is corrupt and is full of corrupt career politicians, many of which have never even held down a real job. The politicians and the media have so successfully shoved the two party system down our throats that there really is no alternative. There is no way that we will ever be unified in the polling booth enough to do anything about it.

We are as much to blame for this as the politicians or the media. Now more than ever, the media doesn't drive issues, it tells us what we want to hear. Somewhere along the way, the voters had to be complicit in installing the party system as some kind of gatekeeper. We're now complicit in allowing it to continue. Third party candidates are on ballots in lots of places, but a lot of people who would vote for them decide to not "waste" their vote and go "D" or "R". Are Nader voters kicking themselves for helping Bush to get elected in 2000? Probably so, but if they were voting their conscience that was the right thing to do. It didn't do any good in the short term, and from their point of view it did actual harm, but that's the only way anything is going to change in the long term. Once again, it's a question of short-term sacrifice for long-term gain, which Americans are notoriously bad at.