Webloggin » Congress Approval Rating Hits Historical Low

The new Democrat led congress can boast about another new achievement, they have managed to drop public approval ratings to the lowest point since Gallup began tracking public sentiment.

PRINCETON, NJ — A new Gallup Poll finds Congress’ approval rating the lowest it has been since Gallup first tracked public opinion of Congress with this measure in 1974. Just 18% of Americans approve of the job Congress is doing, while 76% disapprove, according to the August 13-16, 2007, Gallup Poll.

That 18% job approval rating matches the low recorded in March 1992, when a check-bouncing scandal was one of several scandals besetting Congress, leading many states to pass term limits measures for U.S. representatives (which the Supreme Court later declared unconstitutional). Congress had a similarly low 19% approval rating during the energy crisis in the summer of 1979.

The highest point? 84% one month after 9/11.

Currently President Bush’s approval rating is at 32%. Although quite low it is important for one large reason, the MSM has had a field day reporting on President Bush’s low ratings. Yet they have not done the same for Congress. In fact a Google search looking or articles on the new Democrat Congress tend to return stories about President Bush with the exception of blogs that come up in the result.

The Gallup poll falls in line with an August 16th Quinnipiac poll that also reported historic lows. To make matters worse for the current Congress, 67% of Democrats disapproved with the performance of the new Democrat lead Congress.

American voters disapprove 70 - 20 percent of the job Congress is doing, the lowest score ever in a Quinnipiac University poll. While Democrats control Congress, Democratic voters disapprove 67 - 23 percent.

The Swamp plays both sides of the issue:

Since the Democrats only have control of Congress by a slim 15-seat majority, with some of the seats providing its majority in traditionally Republican districts, House Democrats can’t afford to not be concerned that voter disenchantment with them, could wind up swinging control back to the Republicans, that and a Democratic presidential candidate next year with little to no electoral coat tails.

But what gives the Democrats controlling Congress some reason for optimism is that the war as an issue doesn’t necessarily favor congressional Republicans either. Indeed, many of them have been pushing for changes in Iraq strategy in part because of concerns about what it was doing to their re-election chances.