It's sad to hear opinions of most Americans about our "do nothing" Congress. Americans distrust and disdain Congress. Now that our legislative body is in recess for the coming weeks, we seriously doubt if they'll be missed. Recent polls tell the tale of just how most of the country sees the situation.
A Gallup poll ranks the approval rating of Congress at an all time low at only 15 per cent. Fifty percent rate Congress as "very unproductive" and 74% rated Congress at "very unproductive". Another Gallup poll showed only 7% had "a great deal or quite a lot of confidence" in Congress, while 50% had "very little confidence".
A CBS News/New York Times poll taken in April, 2013 found that only 9% of those surveyed felt that Congress was serving their constituents, while 85% felt they where serving "special interest".
In a Pew Research survey, 69% or seven in ten didn't want most members of Congress re-elected. Thirty six percent (36%) didn't want their own representatives re-elected. These are the highest negative ratings in the past two decades.
Dislike for Congress shows in its lower ratings than root canals, lice, cockroaches, Brussels sprouts, or even used car salesmen. Star Wars characters Darth Vader and Jar Jar Binks rate more favorable than our Congress. In fact, according to a recent FiveThirtyEight poll, these two fictional characters ran higher than all the current presidential candidates.
Congressional negative ratings track closely with our declining faith in a lot of American institutions. Yet, voters seem to do little about these negative views. voting is at its lowest levels on record in this primary season. Most Americans are not paying attention and seem content to allow the status quo to remain. That small per cent that's happy with Congress, those giving those favorable ratings-those are the folks you'll see at the polls. Those are the folks donating money to keep things as they are now.
We get what we ask for and we are living with our failure to engage in the political process in 2010. You can count on the right wing base to be first at the polls in the next election. It's doubtful that the young students, seniors, African Americans and Hispanics will demonstrate the will to make a change. Republicans are counting on liberals and progressives to stay at home, grip and moan, yet fail to vote. We've been predictable, but we can change things with our vote.
We want to know what Beyonce and Kim Kardashian are doing. We hang on Jimmy Fallon's every word in every skit. We are bound to watch Tosh 2.0 and the Big Bang Theory. Guess that's much more fun than watching the antics of this dysfunctional Congress.
We'd better pay attention and be prepared to vote for needed changes. Our future depends on our actions in November. VOTE.
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