Congress Isn't Popular, But Then It Never Is

A new poll shows that 75% of Americans are not satisfied with Congress right now.

"The ratings for Congress overall have been mired in the mid- to low 20s for several months, but for most of the year, Americans have had a positive view of the Democrats in Congress," said CNN polling director Keating Holland. "That's not true any longer -- this poll is the first time we have found majority disapproval for the Democratic leaders' track record since they took control of Congress."

"I think it is important to remember that when Congress performs well, when it actually addresses the big issues of the day, it tends to be rewarded in the public's view of Congress," Binder said. "If today's approval ratings are down in the dumps, we probably shouldn't be surprised. On the big issues of the day, Congress doesn't seem to be doing very much."

The Congress almost never gets very high approval ratings. They don't have the luxury the President gets of being judged on their own since they have to be judged with everyone in Congress including such paramounts of service as Max Baucus. Interestingly (or aggravatingly), though, individual Senators or Representatives tend to rank fairly high with their constituents. "It's the other people in Congress who are screwing up, not the hard-working, selfless person I voted for."

We need to move past that mentality. If Congress isn't doing enough, stop blaming it all on the other States' representatives. Hold your own representatives accountable. If they can't get the job done, vote for someone else. Besides, shaking up Congress more often would probably be good for us all. It's too easy for people who have been in Congress for 20 or 30 years to get complacent and sucked into the mire of the money in Washington.