Feature

Polls Show Increasing Discontent with Congress

By Teresa Cajot When it comes to Congress job performance, there will always be critics but based on two recent polls it appears as though the number of critics has jumped to an all-time high since the debt standoff. According to an August CBS News/New York Times poll, 82 percent of Americans are frustrated with the way Congress is doing its job. The Associated Press-GfK poll, which was also conducted this month, returned similar findings with an 87 percent disapproval rating for Congress.

It would seem that the unfortunate debt crisis debate left many Americans unsure of Congress ability to function effectively, or at least reach a compromise in a timely manner. With the 2012 elections just around the corner, this newlyestablished distrust of Congress is sure to impact voters and results could ultimately depend on which party the American people are most angry with. According to the GfK poll, respondents view Republicans and Democrats similarly in regards to which party can best deal with the federal budget deficit. Republicans received a 40 percent rating, compared to the Democrats 43 percent, thus suggesting that both parties will be closely watched in the coming months. However, in many ways, Republicans are actually at a disadvantage. While almost one third of independents reportedly have little confidence in the ability of either party, when it comes to solving the debt crisis, more independents are now leaning toward raising taxes, rather than cutting funding for programs. In March, 64 percent of independent voters favored cutting services over taxes but that has changed dramatically in the recent months. According the most recent GfK poll, 37 percent now approve of tax increases. Republicans are unlikely to shift to that way of thinking, thus giving Democrats a potential edge if independent voters continue to drift towards the Democratic way of thinking. Furthermore, the CBS News/New York Times poll revealed that Americans are more upset with the Republican response to the

debt debate than they are with the Democrats response. 52 percent of Americans said that congressional Republicans were unbending and unwilling to compromise during the debates while less than 34 percent felt that Democrats compromised too little. The CBS News/New York Times poll also revealed that while President Obamas approval rating holds at a steady 48 percent, Republican House Speaker John Boehners approval rating has dropped significantly since the debate. Prior to the debate, Boehners disapproval rating came in at 40 percent but the August poll indicated that his disapproval rating now stands at 57 percent. The GfK poll also showed a drop in Boehners approval rating, the lowest rating of his speakership at 29 percent. Additionally, the GfK poll shows that the tea partys disapproval ratings have also advanced by 10 percent since November. This too has served to impact Republican approval ratings negatively. The results from the CBS News/New York Times poll consist of polls conducted in June and July of 2011. Participants included 960 adults throughout the nation, who were interviewed via telephone. Similarly, the GFK Roper Public Affairs and Corporate Communications poll involved 1,000 adults who were contacted and interviewed on the telephone. The CBS News/New York Times poll has a margin sampling error of plus or minus three percent, while the GfK poll has a margin sampling error of plus or minus 4.1 percent.

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