Frank Newport of USA Today is reporting the latest Gallup poll numbers and if you’re a member of Congress they’re not pretty:
Just 14% of Americans have a great deal or quite a lot of confidence in Congress.
This 14% Congressional confidence rating is the all-time low for this measure, which Gallup initiated in 1973. The previous low point for Congress was 18% at several points in the period of time 1991 to 1994.
Congress is now nestled at the bottom of the list of Gallup’s annual Confidence in Institutions rankings, along with HMOs. Just 15% of Americans have a great deal or quite a lot of confidence in HMOs.
Before my conservative readers get too excited Ramesh Ponnuru of the NRO offers you some words of warning:
Republicans should not get too gleeful about this finding. If the public is just unhappy with all the politicians, they may take it out on the party they perceive to be in power—and that is still the Republicans.
A.L. of Anonymous Liberal says it even better, pointing out that the conservative bloggers getting all smug about this latest turn of events are oversimplifying the analysis. They’re missing the point and in a major way:
What these polls reflect are the high (and I would argue unrealistic) expectations that many liberals, Democrats, and independents had for this new Congress, expectations that Democratic leaders have not been able to live up to. They also reflect Republican disenchantment with their own Republican members of Congress, especially over the issue of immigration. What they don’t reflect is the sort of disenchantment that is likely to lead people who voted Democratic in the last election to cross over and vote Republican in the next. People who are turned off by corruption and strongly opposed to the Iraq war are not going to vote for a Republican anytime soon. And conservatives who are upset about immigration may choose to just stay home.
Conservatives who take solace in these low Congressional approval ratings are deluding themselves. There is nothing encouraging in these numbers for the GOP.
In 2006 the Congressional Republicans were thoroughly routed because liberals, moderates, and a fair number of conservatives were united in their disgust with Congressional inaction over the Iraq war. The Democrats promised to get us out and fix the mess the 109th congress left behind and managed to do something most pundits didn’t think possible: they won a majority in both houses. A little over 6 months later and things have gone to the proverbial pot.
- Conservatives and blue-collar working class Americans (of which I am one, btw) are pissed about the immigration bill Bush keeps pushing.
- The theocrats are threatening to sit this election out unless we immediately implement the Christian version of Sharia law as federal law.
- Independents & Moderates are disgusted with the constant fighting and lack of constructive action.
- And Democrats?… They’re suffering from the bender known as overreach. Too many Democratic politicians promised they could ‘fix it’ without explaining that accomplishing anything in the face of a united obstructionist Republican party is damn near impossible. They backed down on the war funding fight, they’re on the defensive, and the people that put them in office are sick of it.
A.L. is right, these numbers are bad for the Democrats, but they’re by no means good for the Republicans.
If you haven’t noticed from my past writings I tend to see things through a strong generational lens. My generation literally came of age with 9/11 and the Iraq war. Most of us can tell you exactly what we were doing when the towers came down. We understand what happened, why we went to war, and how we were lied to and used.
For the last twelve years the Republican party has been corroding our nation’s institutions, obstructing anything they didn’t agree with however they could, and generally corrupting our political system. In those twelve years an entire generation has grown up knowing nothing else, and by throwing us into a misguided war during the first years of our voting lives they’ve ensured we have a strong stake in the elections. They’ve sent us and our brothers and sisters off to fight and die for greed and lies and we haven’t forgotten.
These numbers, in my eyes, reflect our collective rage at Congress’s impotence and inaction on the war front, not anger that they’re not governing like the 109th. I personally can’t imagine the Republicans making gains in this sort of atmosphere, and quite frankly I’d be surprised if they haven’t screwed themselves over for an entire generation.
It wouldn’t be the first time they’ve managed the feat, but I guess we’ll see if I’m right come 2008.
***
Thanks to our friends at RealClearPolitics for including this article in their REAL CLEAR BLOGS THURSDAY – Morning Edition roundup -
Thanks also to The Hotline (National Journal) for including this article in the Blogometer -
Loading ...
6:42 am on June 21st, 2007 1
Dustin, the problem is that promise was a lie. They cannot fix the problems, because they are part of the problem. Republicans and Democrats manifest their corruption in different ways, but the essential corrupt element is the same. The particular ways the Republican held Congress screwwed us over were obscene; but the Democrats have screwwed us over each and every time they’ve gotten the chance.
Yes, I attest to that. I was three years in the voting pool when the towers fell. That moment woke me up to the fact that politics and foreign affairs does affect my life. It took me three more years to shake off the mindless, patriotic fervor then created and begin to question what was going on. And it took me two years more to figure out that the “solution” could not be achieved with any one party; that, in fact, neither party was working for the good of this nation.
It’s easy to blame the Republicans. It’s too easy. It’s too simple. And the nation is justly disappointed by their mistake. It’s not the just the Republicans; it’s also the Democrats and the system the Republicans and the Democrats have worked to create to keep incumbents in office. They don’t work together to solve our nation’s problems, but they do work together to make “representative” a cushy job from which they can get rich(er).
Neither can I, but it may still happen. What I hope will happen is that people will wake up enough to realize that the system itself needs to fix and that voters can do it peaceably.
7:16 am on June 21st, 2007 2
You sum it up pretty well Stephanie… depressing, isn’t it
Both parties have been corrupted in their own ways. The right by business and military interests and the left by hyper-multicultural political correctness… not very good choices are they?
Still… I can’t help but feel that the Republicans, in their blind loyalty to party, president, and war, got too close to a Mussolini mentality during their time in power. Power has a corrupting influence and it was/is certainly corrupting them.
It’s times like now that the parliamentary systems so common in Europe don’t look half bad.
8:20 am on June 21st, 2007 3
Looking at some of those European countries, I don’t think they have the solution either. Aside from an educated and wise voting populace, I don’t have any solution to offer. And it doesn’t look like we’re getting that en masse any time soon.
Agreed. As a conservative (well, sort of), I’ve stopped trying to defend the indefensible, i.e. Republicans. However, as we are as likely as not heading towards a Democrat-controlled presidency and Congress in 2008 (God, please not Hillary…!), I’m afraid we’re going to find out what the Democrats do with that much power. And I doubt we’re going to like it any better.
I can hope for a truly moderate third party to spring up in the next few months, but I’m not going to hold my breath.
8:34 am on June 21st, 2007 4
Those expectations were unrealistic becuse the “many liberals, Democrats, and independents” (as well as the capons running for office) have no idea what the Constitution says about the powers of the various branches of our Federal government. They believed the outright LIES they heard from the candidates. (I’ll grant that GWB is kinda shakey on the Constitution too).
Now we have Queen Nancy and King Harry trying to get Exec. & Judicial powers for the legislative branch.
9:06 am on June 21st, 2007 5
I suppose it’s only fitting; we’ve had a boy-king and his handler as president for the last 6 years and all.
But on a more serious note: given the fact that we’re in a major occupational war without a direct war declaration the lines aren’t exactly clear anyway.
Sure we’ve got Authorizations of Force and UN resolutions but Congress can, if it so chooses, revoke any of those and end the conflict.
Most importantly without Section 3.c.1 of the 2002 Iraq Force Authorization bill the Iraq conflict would fall under the limitations of Section 5.b of the 1973 War Powers Resolutions.
In plain English: If Congress revokes or writes out section 3.c.1 of the 2002 authorization bill Bush would have to end the war in 60 days unless Congress either declares war or reauthorizes combat. And I don’t think there’s anyone here who believes he’d have a snowflakes chance in hell of getting that authorization a second time.
It would be politically risky to be sure, but it is within their constitutional powers.
9:18 am on June 21st, 2007 6
It would not only be politically risky, but it would also be messy. Could it be done? Probably. Would it be wise? Certainly not.
To get out of Iraq cleanly, doing as little damage to our troops and Iraqis as possible, will take cooperative effort. Were Congress to act in the manner you describe, there would be no cooperative effort. Bush would undoubtably fight it to the last possible moment and — assuming Congress didn’t back down (again) — the damage involved would be incredible.
And Democrats would be chastised at the voters’ booths for doing so clumsy a job of their duties.
Not to mention that there are quite a few members in the service who would be outraged at the wanton disregard for their sacrifices.
9:28 am on June 21st, 2007 7
I hate to say it because it makes me come across as cold-hearted, but I’m not sure most Americans really care how much damage we do to Iraq. It’s not that they shouldn’t, but basic human psychology makes connecting with unknown and unrelated individuals who are suffering out of our sight a difficult task even for empathetic people. For most Americans they hear “60 killed in bomb attacks in Baghdad” and think nothing of it, but the second they hear one of those 60 was one American they get upset.
It just floors me how so many fights get blamed on the person/persons who end it, not on the guys who started and kept it going. Your right though, just as the Vietnam War “loss” was blamed on the dirty hippies and a liberal media I’m sure that whenever our troops come home someone’ll get blamed for their supposed ‘failure’ as well. Because let’s face it, the chances of a liberal democracy springing up out of the Iraqi chaos are slim to none at this point, at least in our lifetime, so the only difference between leaving now and leaving 20 years from now will be the body count and price tag.
9:55 am on June 21st, 2007 8
Congress is never high in this measurement. The two highest points (all the way up to the 40% area) were during the Watergate and Irangate hearings. Last year’s Republican-led Congress was at 19%. The drop to 14% is just about at the margin of error.
I wouldn’t get too carried away in celebration. It doesn’t signify much.
10:02 am on June 21st, 2007 9
I have to say that anyone who thinks a majority of conservatives still support the President just isnt paying attention. Spend some time on conservative blogs and frums and youll see theres not much kool aid being swilled anymore. Bush’s traitorous actions as far as illegal alien amnesty has opened the eyes of a lot of former supporters.
10:08 am on June 21st, 2007 10
I’m glad something finally did it, truly, but there are still enough die hard Bush sycophants & supporters for him to have an impact. And regardless of what finally got his former supporters to abandon him the fact remains that Bush’s war was defended by The Right (from Fox News, to Malkin, to Red State and beyond) until it was no longer politically convenient to do so. Many are still defending it.
The Republican party has a price to pay for this cluster**** of a war, but it’s good they’ve finally realized Bush isn’t a golden child. Too bad it took so long.
10:49 am on June 21st, 2007 11
Dustin,
“I hate to say it because it makes me come across as cold-hearted, but I’m not sure most Americans really care how much damage we do to Iraq.”
Most Americans? Obviously not. Me? Yes, which is why I say it — over and over again and as often as necessary. And why I reiterate that there are troops over there who are not fighting for Bush, but are fighting for what they believe (and I agree) America should stand for.
Perhaps we should not have gone over there to “free” Iraq. We certainly should not have gone over there to hand over control of Iraq to the iron-fist of our Congress. However, if we abandon Iraq with no regard to the consequences to them than we are nothing but the brute so many (including members of the ultra-liberal core) claim we are. Furthermore, if we leave with no regard to the consequences for them than they will be a security threat, because they will almost certainly fall to the terrorists who want to destroy everything we stand for. And that we be a great injustice to those men and women who have fought and died for an America worth believing in.
“…the chances of a liberal democracy springing up out of the Iraqi chaos are slim to none at this point…”
It wouldn’t take a “liberal democracy” (which, sorry to say, sounds like rhetoric to me) to call Iraq a success, and justly so. I, for one, don’t want to re-make Iraq in our image — just look around to find out why. That’s not what I call fulfilling our responsibility to Iraq. However, supporting those Iraqis who are finally getting the balls to stand up to the terrorists and take their country back… Really, can you abandon them with a clean conscious?
“…so the only difference between leaving now and leaving 20 years from now will be the body count and price tag.”
If the people who are in charge, i.e. Bush & Congress, to actually listen to the people who understand the geo-politics of the area, the situation on the ground, and the other factors involved it wouldn’t take 20 years. If success, however unlikely it is in reality, is to happen in Iraq, it is to happen by listening and complying with the advice of the experts. Hope is lost by mindless mistakes and miscalculations. Our troops can’t win if their leaders don’t make the right decisions. The people who call that a failure of the troops need their faces rubbed in the smell of their own apathy, in my not-so-humble opinion.
I may be jaded and cynical at this point, but it’s not in my nature to give up — or to advocate giving up. Iraq does not have to be a mess. In reality, it’s likely that we can never come back from this. But it’s not impossible to do so.
12:04 pm on June 21st, 2007 12
Dustin, I think that the Reps have paid already.
11:05 pm on June 21st, 2007 13
I think my generation “came of age” when those students were gunned down by our very own National Guardsmen at Kent State. It was then that we realized that peace and love and flowers in our hair were no defense against bayonets and bullets, and that scared young men in surreal circumstances could be capable of doing the most monstrous things. “Four dead in Ohio” was one hell of a wake-up call. Trouble is, not alot of us ever really woke up.
11:24 pm on June 21st, 2007 14
Lee,
Mostly people don’t. At least, I can hope that they aren’t and hope that they do.
Would we let our country be run by theses selfish madmen if enough of us were awake to see it? I hope not. I truly hope not.