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Just when it seemed almost mathematically impossible for Congress to get any more unpopular, it manages to sink again to an incredible new low. Congress’s job approval rating is the lowest it has ever been since Gallup started asking the question back in 1974. From Gallup:
Congress is really unpopular, but this is historically terrible. It is just another sign that we are a society in need of serious political and economic reforms. Our economy is bad, income inequality is appalling, our infrastructure is deteriorating, our institutions are failing. Yet this Congress does little besides working on corporate welfare legislation, while stumbling from one bad last second deal to another.
We need to reduce the incentives and ability for small groups in Congress to prevent our legislature from doing its most basic duties. Winning elections with big mandates should mean the platform the party runs on gets implemented, and the party held accountable. Instead our politics consists of two sides running on absurd empty promises they know will never become law, and no one is held accountable.
We also need public financing of election so members of Congress are more concerned about the needs of the majority of Americans instead of just worrying about what a small group of wealthy donors want.
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a case in point, crooks and liars has a story up right now;
Keystone XL Will Raise Oil Prices By Moving More Oil Out Of The US
that’s right, according to the link, canada already has more pipeline capability then oil but they go to the midwest, this only makes it easier to get the oil to other parts of the world and THEY WILL, they said so
so here we have critters advocating for a pipeline that will benefit the oil companies and the american people will suffer for it
The previous article by D-Day is demonstrative of why our political leadership is seen as completely incompetent. Congress and Wall Street have become the pinnacle for those who make it through life “failing upwards.”
If we really want to deport people who are a drain on our resources we should start with the 11% who are approving of Congress in this survey.
Just received this email from off-the-table Pelosi. The corrupt Democrats play games so they can shill for campaign dollars.
Note that “House Democrats will match your gift dollar-for-dollar.” Where does that money come from?
They know how unpopular they are but don’t believe they will pay any price for it. Especially the House. The two parties have so completely gamed the system through gerrymandered districts that they are pretty much insured re-election. On the right, as long as they are radical enough they don’t have to worry about a Tea-Bagger primary challenger. On the left there is little chance of a serious primary challenge decause the party just won’t allow it.
Since the corrupt are responsible for cleaning up corruption we can forget about public financing or anything else that would get big money out of politics. Besides, with the advent of Super-Pacs that raise enormous amounts of dark money that will almost certainly wind up in the elected officials personal bank account, I don’t think we can count on any improvement.
“We also need public financing of election so members of Congress are more concerned about the needs of the majority of Americans ……”
I understand and generally agree with this sentiment but ……….
The obscene amounts of campaign money raised is largely spent on TV commercials aimed at the 99% that are filled with outright lies and half truths. The do this because it works.
Public financing cannot in the long run protect “We the people” if we are too dumb to pay attention and continue to believe the lies targeting our prejudices and misconceptions.
Congress is soooo mocking us out.
A military coup where the president, number two, and all the members of congress are arrested is sounding better every day.
11% approve we are in the margin of error for single digit approval ratings! At what point in the polls does congress have to get before even the MSM can’t help but mention the word revolution?
Surprised that on the way out they didn’t flash their derrieres on the Capitol steps in a bipartisan moon to the rubes.
Even my Tea Party family members are beginning to agree that they ALL suck, and that it’s not just the KenyanMuslimNaziCommieSocialisticBirfSirteefikat insanely LIEbrul “Democrats” who the sole & only root of ALL evil.
I was shocked to learn that my rightwing fundie family members are *slightly* awakening to this fact. Of course, they DO still think that zillions of rogue Muzlinz are madly inflicting Sharia Law *everywhere,* but I felt like I was finally seeing true light at the end of their tunnel vision. It’s better ‘n nothing.
Believe me if MY family are seeing some level of true reality in terms of the thrall that the 1% have on our so-called “govt,” then it’s becoming way obvious to a lot of citizens.
For better or worse, the Occupy movement has served to awaken many. Thank goodness!!
Of course: now what?
Believe you me, that’s *exactly* what they are doing … ya just don’t see it. That and the upraised middle finger, as well.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_War
Congress is below Viet Nam era approval ratings now. I wasn’t old enough to pay attention to the news then but I’ve read the Media was worried an awful lot about revolution back then.
The Media and Right were using the word Revolution as a buzz word scare tactic their failure to use the word revolution now suggests that this time both the Media and GOP are worried about revolution.
Right now in Congress they are voting on a resolution that states calling D’s nazi’s was disparaging. I’m not sure if it was disparaging to D’s or Nazi’s. Really the jury is still out.
This will not change until the reelection rate is close to the approval rating. Nothing says “rigged” like 90% reelection with 11% approval.
The lake does a better job of rapid response than any Dem group. Of course Nancy’s idea of rapid response to the GOP is to put down a pillow before she faints and surrenders.
Since the voting system is unvarifiable, what makes you think any change in voting sentiment/action would result in different election results? I am convinced that the right wing religious vote has never been as big as the media/propogandist would have us believe. election fraud is the perfect crime because you only know how you voted
The way Republicans have been thumbing their noses at the entire country, even their own constituents, makes me wonder if they don’t have something up their sleeve to guarantee their “victory” in the 2012 election. Surely they are reading the same polls, but they are forging ahead with a very unpopular agenda regardless. In a world of free, fair, and open elections, it would be suicide. But this is not that world.
I was shocked to learn that my rightwing fundie family members are *slightly* awakening to this fact. Of course, they DO still think that zillions of rogue Muzlinz are madly inflicting Sharia Law
If they are concerned about Sharia Law restricting abortion and birth control, prayer in schools, not teaching sex ed in schools, Gay and Women’s rights, I’m sure the oil rich Saudis laugh at global warming as much as the GOP does.
Logically if you don’t like Sharia law you don’t like the GOP. But of course facts don’t matter when you desire.
I expect the GOP to steal the next election unless things are so bad they want Obama to take the blame.
Given enough time, the graphs should settle out at 99% and 1%.
Then we’ll know who really funds Congress, even without putting logos on their work clothes.
Real campaign finance reform may be the only way out. And not looking likely soon.
I’ve just assumed for the last few years that the reason the American people continue to operate as though our political institutions have any legitimacy at all is simply due to persistent myths about American Exceptionalism.
There’s simply no possible way that any objective observer can look at the science of human behavior referenced against the organization of our government and conclude that it will ever produce anything other than oligarchy and gross inequality. It’s baked in.
We’ve had this discussion before. Just look at the Senate. From a perspective of system and process analysis it’s clear that its only real function is advancing rule by an ever smaller number of powerful interests/people. It can’t produce any other outcome save for random error.
Higher gas prices could easily push Congresses poll numbers into single digits all by itself but now we are getting into the hard core support the top 10%, the crazy, the people who lie to polls and the margin of error.
A simple 3% margin of error could be interpreted as almost a tripling of support for congress right now.
Poll numbers this low are prone to distortion because they are so small.
The polls are national, the elections are local. Without regional breakdowns of approval ratings that show similar vast disparity it’s not really reasonable to draw this conclusion.
Perhaps the rates would be similar if we all got to elect each other’s members of Congress.
You are all missing the main point that has existed from the beginning of time. The weak will always be subservient to those who control power. Now it is you who give them the power. It is the game, from the beginning.
The church gained power by offerings to those who gave to the church. In most religions, those who give to the “religion” are those venerated.
It is the same here, those who give to the politicians make the politician “clergy” powerful and you are just part of the chorus.
They care nothing of you; they only care to take more for themselves. It is never going to change!
You may thing the Constitution was the document for freedom, it is only words to make you think that the feudal system of old with Lords and Surfs were cast off. It has not. It will not.
If I talked to 100 people at random I could not get 11 to say Congress is doing a good job. Are they oversampling in the financial district or pebble beach? 11 seems awfully high for approval.
heh… good try, but that’s NOT why my fundie rightwing family members are upset about Sharia law… not in the slightest. They are concerned that somehow Sharia law will be used to “force” them to be Muslims. No, I’m not kidding. How that will be effected has not been disclosed to me. It’s more about rightwing fundie Christians LOVING to *constantly victimize* themselves & see themselves as always under attack.
I “get it” that they are being brainwashed to think this way, but I think it also makes them feel more important or something. Nutty.
The problem is that most voters will say that their representatives and senators are much better than the average representative and senator. As a result, the people keep voting the same people back into office.
Gallup has Obama at 43% on the daily poll
http://www.gallup.com/poll/113980/Gallup-Daily-Obama-Job-Approval.aspx
http://www.gallup.com/poll/116677/presidential-approval-ratings-gallup-historical-statistics-trends.aspx
35% was Bush’s average for his whole second term so Obama still has a ways to go.
Yes, which is why that trope is used so much and so effectively. I certainly witness it *working* on people I know who vote either for putative “Dems” or so-called “Repubs.” They, one & all, get their rocks off (I mean it) on the whole American exceptionalism bullshit.
Which is why I get really angry when I hear any pol spewing out that kind of propoganda… because it works on such a significant portion of the population, unfortunately.
Good points. I think most who post here regularly are part of a choir that you are preaching to.
However, it certainly doesn’t hurt to re-state the case. Many of us here have consistently referred to the Constitution and the Founding Fathers in the same way that you do. Yes, it was all about the rights of the 1% from the very beginning.
Whats the difference between a Fundy Christian and a Fundy Muslim besides a different holy book? I agree they like to feel like victims even as they try and force everyone to be like them.
Its the bully complaining when you hit back to teacher syndrome.
Yes and no. Often the voters’ choices are severely limited to: a) horrendously terrible, and b) terribly horrendous. I’m not be facetious. So often incumbents are voted back in on the notion of: what else is there? OR Better the devil you know…
Over the past couple of decades I have often voted third party bc the options from the two branches of the one-party of the Oligarchs have been so pathetic. Many citizens, though, drink the Kook Aid and think that voting third party is “throwing away your vote.” I disagree, but that’s JMHO, of course.
heh… well, you & I see things in a similar viewpoint, but boyohboy don’t my family *started* on that concept. Hooboy: that’s a HUGE can of worms, my friend. I DO know what they’d say, but I will spare you the intense diatribe that would be the answer.
That said, there are some truly significant differences between Christianity and the Muslim faith, albeit, yes, there are also a lot of similarities. And yes, the Muslims do believe in Jesus, but only as a prophet. And I’ll stop there.
Just how thick is the bubble that surrounds Washington and the Media we are on the edge of rebellion and except for the Tea Baggers who themselves poll less than Muslim’s the majority of Americans are not buying that Hispanic, Gay, Lefties are the problem they think Obama and the GOP are the problem not because Obama is African American but because he surrenders to the GOP’s pro1% agenda.
We are on the edge of rebellion and united by what we think the problems of America really are.
I assume its the same thinking the climate change deniers use in Chicago when the grass is still green in december the robins still have not flown south for the winter and we have flowers in front of the library.
I understand the frustration behind that sentiment but violence is not the answer. To begin with the military would never take that step and the civilian population would never be successful at armed rebellion. Armed force is clearly on the side of the government and we would be stomped out of existence if we went that way.
The only viable option left to us is complete refusal to cooperate. A sustained national strike. A refusal by a substantial percentage of the people of this country for a considerable period of time.
Obama lowest poll rating 38%, Bush 25%, Nixon 24%
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_approval_rating#Historical_comparison
something along those lines, yes. in this case, the main brainwashing is coming from their churches. but as you know, often Christian churches are working behind the scenes with the 1% to fool their paritioners into buying a lot of crap and nonsense. So, again, I’ll stop with that.
So, you think “nothing will change.”
Well, then I guess we should all give up and accept our fate and I guess the Occupiers should just go home.
I suggest you read some history about people who made enormous change…for the betterment of society.
A People’s History by Howard Zinn comes to mind. *g*
I don;t usually get into religious arguments, but, I just don’t have the knees to be a Muslim. Nor a rug.
Nor that kind of free time during the day.
None.
You are on the wrong website.
According to surveys I’ve seen, even that is no longer true. The majority of voters want ALL members of congress voted out of office, but that specifically includes their own.
It now seems just a smoke screen. They are definitively focused on the senate. They already have the house and the judicial, If they could just stack the senate,it would be totally OVER. What would they fear from a lone president.
I think there are still.who are totally controlled to say,It’s all the presidents fault or all the dems fault. The blame game seems to be the only one that wins,That’s why the repubs use it so often. I have no idea what to think of the dems, most are playing at the “no use to stand up without a majority”,wait till after the next election. ALL a big game, while they’re still on our dime.