How do you rate Congress?

[NickCole]

As to the pug agenda. They promulgated and voted on the Contract With America as they promised to do. Politicians keeping their word was quite the concept at the time. Welfare reform went well enough. I'm pleased that fewer Americans depend on the government for their daily bread. Fact is,we should all be proud of that accomplishment.

Welfare reform was set in motion by President Clinton working with a Democratic Congress. When Republicans took over control of Congress, they put through legislation that Clinton had been pushing for. When he ran for President the first time, candidate Clinton vowed to "end welfare as we know it."

But of course you hand credit to Republicans.

The dims on the other hand had a promise to end the war, which they failed to do

Democrats were not elected Commander in Chief, they were elected to control of Congress. They have done the best they could do in that position, short of cutting off funding for our troops and that would be profoundly wrong.

As to oversight, I like it. Not much has come of it, but I support it as a concept.

It's revealed Attorney General Gonzales as the liar and cheat he is. And he's resigned, as have a bunch of other Bush thugs in DOJ.

I wouldn't call that "not much."

 

[chance1]

^ how do any of the above supporters explain the approval rating being so low???

 

[CO Bob]

^ how do any of the above supporters explain the approval rating being so low???

Nice question!

No doubt that you just opened the can named "slanted poll". Just watch this thread.

 

[chance1]

^ The question doesn't ask, "How do you rate Democrats in Congress, it asks, "How do you rate Congress," as in the corpus, both Dems and Pugs. Considering America's disgust with that other party, chance1, we look pretty good ("We" being our party -- my party and your party -- the Democrats).

Consider this poll from CNN:

"If the elections for Congress were being held today, which party's candidate would you vote for in your congressional district?" If unsure: "As of today, who do you lean more toward?"


Democratic: 53%
Republican: 41%

We're looking at landslide, come 2008, chance1, landslide.

u did everything BUT answer the question

Americans r well aware that the Dems control Congress

So how do u explain the 18%?

Please address the question Alfie

 

[Andreus]

looks like he answered it to me

thanks alfie

 

[lancelva]

So how do u explain the 18%?

Like Alfie said, Congress includes the Republicans, who are obstructing progress. The Congress as a whole hasn't done everything Americans want done which is why it receives such a low approval rating. However, the Democrats have been trying to do what Americans want (i.e. end the war in Iraq) which is why a majority of people say they would prefer a Democratic majority over a Republican majority.

 

[Centexfarmer]

First off, let's deal with the poll at hand, which is the one posted by CO Bob.

I voted NO in his poll, because the Democrats seem to have capitulated to the Republicans on everything that mattered.

I voted NO because the Republicans appear to have wanted more of the same, more rubber stamps for Bush's policies, no oversight, no accountability, and once again we have a Congress that appears more interested in politics than in doing what's right by the American People.

I can't speak for everyone who voted, or for the rest of America, but that would be my guess.

Hopefully this answers Chance1's question:

^ how do any of the above supporters explain the approval rating being so low???

Oh! Buy wait! I voted with the majority this time!

Or would that be the 20?

Wait!

I'm so confused!

 

[RandomAccess]

The reason for the 18% is that Americans are disappointed with the lack of progress. . . lack of progress thanks to Republicans. Seems pretty simple to understand, to me.

 

[letme]

Congress includes the Republicans, who are obstructing progress. The Congress as a whole hasn't done everything Americans want done which is why it receives such a low approval rating. However, the Democrats have been trying to do what Americans want

Lance I am really glad 100 Post Offices got re-named.

 

[JayHawk]

Nice beach ball Alfie. But only one?

Congress is evil no matter what party occupies the seats in the swamp.

What is telling on your democrats is the fact that your own party is driving the bus . (poll numbers)

http://www.galluppoll.com/content/?ci=28456

Frustration with Congress spans the political spectrum. There are only minor (but not statistically meaningful) differences in the approval ratings Democrats (21%), Republicans (18%), and independents (17%) give to Congress. Typically, partisans view Congress much more positively when their party is in control of the institution, so the fact that Democrats' ratings are not materially better than Republicans' is notable.

Anyways, I truly hope that the obstructionist get voted out. That way we can all be rosy and happy about congress. Or not.

I am thinkin it is more "or not" but the only way to convince most of you is to have it happen. SO let's get all the conservatives out and see where we end up.

 

[chance1]

^^

So

the story some r selling is that

1 - dissatisfaction with congress is due to the republicans blocking progress
2 - that if the question was "are you happy with dem members of congress" the answer would be much greater than the 18%
3 - that people don't see congress as dem controlled, rather as a single block

face it - Pelosi is not a popular figure - neither is Murtha - the public sees them as being partisan, bickering and unwilling to work for real change

that has nothing to do with them being democrats or liberals - rather because they are who they r

as for Alfie's Dem must vote Dem - well, thanks but no - I'll make individual choices based on the individuals running and the issues outstanding

 

[JayHawk]

Nope its Gallup....wait you only spoke to CHance......

 

[Centexfarmer]

Fair enough, Comrade. Is your discontent with the Dems so strong you'd end your affiliation with the Texas Democratic Party?

Excuse me???



Even if Jesus himself came down off the cross and told me to vote Republican in the Great State of Texas, I wouldn't do it!

Will you be voting, as I always do, straight ticket Democrat next year? I will. Maybe twice, if Cheesey's voter registration card ever gets here.

The only time that I don't vote straight ticket is when a Libertarian is running against a Republican without a Democrat in that race. Then I vote Libertarian in that particuliar election.

I mean, expressing disappointment is perhaps understandable, but at the end of the day, when the polls open, every Democrat, however disaffected, will walk, crawl or wheel their way to the voting booth and do their God damned duty and vote DEMOCRAT (just as every member of the Taliban/We Hate America Party will). Of that, I'm convinced.

Once again, you are preaching to the choir.

 

[chance1]

I don't know how much greater, chance, I think it's a unindicative question to ask of an institution with 535 members. It's sort of like asking, "Do you approve of Staten Island?" One, how do I know, and two, WTF cares?



Now chance1, let me blow you out of the water: Pelosi has higher polling numbers than Bush or Cheney: She's at 37, Cheney's at 32, Bush is sinking in 29-31% seas. So, where is your proof? Or is your opinion -- your "gut" -- giving you this data?

call me chance - chance1 is so impersonal

not sure i would crow about 37 vs. 32 or 31 - considering that GWB is one unpopular dude

i think my gut is not necessary here - the proof is in ur #s

 

[Centexfarmer]

^ And General Alfie is 105 posts away from 10,000 posts club.

We should throw a party!

 

[chance1]

^ And General Alfie is 105 posts away from 10,000 posts club.

We should throw a party!

we should chip in and get him groomed !!!!!!!!!!



10,000 ?

not gonna do the quality over quantity thing - that would be mean

 

[NickCole]

^ how do any of the above supporters explain the approval rating being so low???

People are always dissatisfied with Congress, it's virtually built in to the process because Congress is designed to be at odds within itself with hundreds of representatives from hundreds of different places and almost as many different viewpoints and agendas -- all coming together to make concensus federal legislation.

And when one party has such a slim majority over the other (that's been obstructionist), and, further, is opposition to the party in the White House (Democrats can write any legislation they want but if Bush doesn't sign it, it's only words on paper), there's going to be even less progress and more frustration.

Americans wanted us out of Iraq and there is no way Democrats could have achieved that immediately with Bush in the White House and Republicans barely in the minority in Congress. So there's frustration and disappointment from Americans who don't understand that Congress is a huge groaning machine that can't turn on a dime.

But polls show Americans still want more Democrats in Congress and a Democrat in the White House; that's evidence that Americans' biggest dissatisfaction is Republicans.

 

[CO Bob]

Americans wanted us out of Iraq and there is no way Democrats could have achieved that immediately. So there's frustration and disappointment.

While you make a good few points here, I take umbrage with the notion that the approval of Congress rests on just this one thing. Bridges to nowhere, pork in every bill, Senators charged with crime's, illegal immigration running rampant, all of it just keeps getting under the public's skin.

Pelosi ran with a promise to elliminate pork and earmarks, if in the Speakers's seat after. Yet, every bill sent up thus far has had it's share.

With the new majority, I think the public desires to see a change in the status-quo. It's yet to happen.

 

[White Eagle]

I think it would be good if we let the 20% have their fun with the low approval ratings. You know it really won't be long before that's all gonna change. It reminds me of a song that Hank Williams Jr found that his daddy wrote and recorded but never released while he was alive. He liked it so much he made a duet with his daddy. It goes something like this:

There's a tear in my beer
Cause I'm cryin for you, dear
You are on my lonely mind
Into these last nine beers
I have shed a million tears
You are on my lonely mind
I'm gonna keep drinkin until I'm petrified
And then maybe these tears will leave my eyes
There's a tear in my beer
Cause I'm crying for you dear
You are on my lonely mind

 

[NickCole]

While you make a good few points here, I take umbrage with the notion that the approval of Congress rests on just this one thing. Bridges to nowhere, pork in every bill, Senators charged with crime's, illegal immigration running rampant, all of it just keeps getting under the public's skin.

I agree.

Pelosi ran with a promise to elliminate pork and earmarks, if in the Speakers's seat after. Yet, every bill sent up thus far has had it's share.

I agree.

With the new majority, I think the public desires to see a change in the status-quo. It's yet to happen.

I agree. But Iraq was the big issue. And, at least in terms of getting out Democratic vote, lack of oversight of Bush & Co was another.

We'll need a more radical change in Congress (Democrats were able to take over control because many of the new Democrats they ran, who won, are basically Blue Dog Democrats) and a change in the White House before bigger changes will happen. But even then there's only so much Congress is going to change unless voters insist on it -- and really they don't. I suspect most voters don't like pork and earmarks except when THEIR representative brings it home.