lily
07-30-2007, 10:42 PM
SOunds like the dis-satisfaction with congress goes for both sides of the aisle. (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/29/AR2007072901223.html?wpisrc=newsletter)
For Democratic Congress, Voters' Singular Disapproval Has Many Seeds
By Jonathan Weisman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, July 30, 2007; Page A05
To Edwin Robinson, a Milwaukee casino pit boss and a lifelong Democrat, the
new Democratic Congress that he cheered seven months ago is now a source of
shame, as its leaders try to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq.
Terry Brickman, 43, a Republican-voting independent from suburban Detroit,
was no less enthusiastic about the Democrats' victory in November, and is no
less disappointed today. By now, he figured, the new Congress would have
forced President Bush to change course.
"Congress had the ability with their momentum coming in to really do some
things, gain some respect or positive feelings from the American people, and
that's gone already," said Brickman, a medical-device sales representative.
"They failed."
Brickman and Robinson, two respondents to the most recent Washington
Post-ABC News poll, help explain why Congress moves toward its August recess
this week with approval ratings at 37 percent, rivaling the president's low
ratings -- and why it has become so difficult for the Democratic leadership
to do anything about it. Polling data and follow-up interviews reveal that
voters disapprove of the new Democratic majority, but the reasons range
wildly.
Iraq is the dominant theme, but no clear consensus emerges about what
Congress should do. About half of Americans in the Post-ABC poll said that
Democrats have done too little to push Bush on his war policy. Others said
in interviews that Congress has neglected domestic issues while focusing on
Iraq.
In short, the divisions in the nation at large are well reflected in the
paralysis on Capitol Hill.
"My feeling is they're not really standing up for the other side of the
story. They're caving and not fighting hard enough for what American people
really want," said Jessica Lane, 28, a Democrat and registered nurse in
Bremerton, Wash. "Maybe my hopes were just a little too high."
Those sentiments have buoyed Republicans as they attack what they call a
Democratic "Post Office Congress" -- unable to accomplish much more than
renaming federal buildings.
"The approval rating of this Congress is now down to what we believe is the
lowest recorded point in polling history, having apparently squandered
whatever political capital they may have achieved with the American people
last November the 7th in a record short period of time," Senate Minority
Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said.
But Republicans have not turned those attacks into significant support.
Although 46 percent of Americans say they approve of the job Democrats in
Congress are doing, 34 percent say they approve of the congressional
Republicans' performance.
"The Republicans don't come out of this a winner," warned Nancy Lukacs, 68,
a swing voter in the Dallas suburbs. "The Democrats may come out not the
winner we wanted, but they are not the losers that turn us back to the
Republicans."
One GOP tactic is to slap a "do-nothing" label on Democrats, who set high
expectations for themselves. Of their "6 for '06" agenda of domestic
priorities, Democrats have passed half -- an increase in the minimum wage,
enactment of new homeland security recommendations and federal funding for
stem cell research, which Bush vetoed.
Before the end of the week, Democrats are likely to make good on their
promise to tighten rules on congressional ethics and lobbying. The House and
Senate plan to pass a significant expansion of the 10-year-old federal
health program to insure children of the working poor.
"From security at home, plus the economic pieces of health care, higher
education and the minimum wage, we are hitting key domestic economic
issues," said House Democratic Caucus Chairman Rahm Emanuel (Ill.).
But few poll respondents interviewed have noticed.
"I don't think they know what they're doing," said George Craig, 62, a
lawyer and Republican from suburban Pittsburgh.
Sen. Charles E. Schumer (N.Y.), an architect of the Democratic victories who
heads the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, acknowledged the
problem. The midterm elections of 2006 showed how upset voters were, but for
now sentiments are in flux, he said. The real change in the electorate will
come next year, as a presidential campaign accentuates the issues and
solidifies voters' stands.
For now, he said, Democrats worried over Congress's approval rating must
take heart that their party still holds double-digit leads over Republicans
in the polls.
"Clearly, people are frustrated with the slow pace of change," said Rep.
Chris Van Hollen (Md.), chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign
Committee. In large part, the problem is Iraq, which has scrambled the
political equation, he acknowledged.
Retiree Dale Vaughn, 73, of Minnestra, Minn., is not happy about the way
Democrats are spending his tax money, but what really gets the Republican
riled may be surprising.
"The first thing I would have liked them to do is impeach him," he said of
the president. "They're not going to get anywhere trying to hold back funds
or change his opinion with these silly all-night sessions. He's ignorant.
He's not going to change."
Melanie Harrison, 38, a stay-at-home mother in Denton, N.C., has stuck with
her Republican congressman, Howard Coble, but she advocates a stand against
Bush's Iraq policy that even war skeptic Coble would never stomach.
"I don't know if anyone could get him to change his policy," Harrison said,
"but Congress has control of the funds, and if they didn't have the money
they would have to change course."
Lukacs, who voted Democrat in the last election, sees things differently.
"I would like to see them do other things, like health care, but I think
they're all tied up in their underwear," she said. "For whatever reason, the
Iraq thing has become our national focus, but there are a lot of needs in
this country that they're not getting to."
Faced with such contradictory impulses, Democratic leaders can take solace
in such voters as Tad Pfister, 72, a former Republican county chairman in
Nogales, Ariz., who supported Democrat Gabrielle Giffords in her successful
bid last year to replace retiring Republican Rep. Jim Kolbe. Pfister
acknowledged his disappointment with the Democratic majority, especially
over Iraq, which turned him against his former party in the first place. But
he promised patience, and he's not going back to the GOP.
"There's no way they can do anything to get out of Iraq. They're trying
hard, but they can't succeed," he said. "We're just going to have to wait
until next election and see a Democrat in the White House."
For Democratic Congress, Voters' Singular Disapproval Has Many Seeds
By Jonathan Weisman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, July 30, 2007; Page A05
To Edwin Robinson, a Milwaukee casino pit boss and a lifelong Democrat, the
new Democratic Congress that he cheered seven months ago is now a source of
shame, as its leaders try to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq.
Terry Brickman, 43, a Republican-voting independent from suburban Detroit,
was no less enthusiastic about the Democrats' victory in November, and is no
less disappointed today. By now, he figured, the new Congress would have
forced President Bush to change course.
"Congress had the ability with their momentum coming in to really do some
things, gain some respect or positive feelings from the American people, and
that's gone already," said Brickman, a medical-device sales representative.
"They failed."
Brickman and Robinson, two respondents to the most recent Washington
Post-ABC News poll, help explain why Congress moves toward its August recess
this week with approval ratings at 37 percent, rivaling the president's low
ratings -- and why it has become so difficult for the Democratic leadership
to do anything about it. Polling data and follow-up interviews reveal that
voters disapprove of the new Democratic majority, but the reasons range
wildly.
Iraq is the dominant theme, but no clear consensus emerges about what
Congress should do. About half of Americans in the Post-ABC poll said that
Democrats have done too little to push Bush on his war policy. Others said
in interviews that Congress has neglected domestic issues while focusing on
Iraq.
In short, the divisions in the nation at large are well reflected in the
paralysis on Capitol Hill.
"My feeling is they're not really standing up for the other side of the
story. They're caving and not fighting hard enough for what American people
really want," said Jessica Lane, 28, a Democrat and registered nurse in
Bremerton, Wash. "Maybe my hopes were just a little too high."
Those sentiments have buoyed Republicans as they attack what they call a
Democratic "Post Office Congress" -- unable to accomplish much more than
renaming federal buildings.
"The approval rating of this Congress is now down to what we believe is the
lowest recorded point in polling history, having apparently squandered
whatever political capital they may have achieved with the American people
last November the 7th in a record short period of time," Senate Minority
Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said.
But Republicans have not turned those attacks into significant support.
Although 46 percent of Americans say they approve of the job Democrats in
Congress are doing, 34 percent say they approve of the congressional
Republicans' performance.
"The Republicans don't come out of this a winner," warned Nancy Lukacs, 68,
a swing voter in the Dallas suburbs. "The Democrats may come out not the
winner we wanted, but they are not the losers that turn us back to the
Republicans."
One GOP tactic is to slap a "do-nothing" label on Democrats, who set high
expectations for themselves. Of their "6 for '06" agenda of domestic
priorities, Democrats have passed half -- an increase in the minimum wage,
enactment of new homeland security recommendations and federal funding for
stem cell research, which Bush vetoed.
Before the end of the week, Democrats are likely to make good on their
promise to tighten rules on congressional ethics and lobbying. The House and
Senate plan to pass a significant expansion of the 10-year-old federal
health program to insure children of the working poor.
"From security at home, plus the economic pieces of health care, higher
education and the minimum wage, we are hitting key domestic economic
issues," said House Democratic Caucus Chairman Rahm Emanuel (Ill.).
But few poll respondents interviewed have noticed.
"I don't think they know what they're doing," said George Craig, 62, a
lawyer and Republican from suburban Pittsburgh.
Sen. Charles E. Schumer (N.Y.), an architect of the Democratic victories who
heads the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, acknowledged the
problem. The midterm elections of 2006 showed how upset voters were, but for
now sentiments are in flux, he said. The real change in the electorate will
come next year, as a presidential campaign accentuates the issues and
solidifies voters' stands.
For now, he said, Democrats worried over Congress's approval rating must
take heart that their party still holds double-digit leads over Republicans
in the polls.
"Clearly, people are frustrated with the slow pace of change," said Rep.
Chris Van Hollen (Md.), chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign
Committee. In large part, the problem is Iraq, which has scrambled the
political equation, he acknowledged.
Retiree Dale Vaughn, 73, of Minnestra, Minn., is not happy about the way
Democrats are spending his tax money, but what really gets the Republican
riled may be surprising.
"The first thing I would have liked them to do is impeach him," he said of
the president. "They're not going to get anywhere trying to hold back funds
or change his opinion with these silly all-night sessions. He's ignorant.
He's not going to change."
Melanie Harrison, 38, a stay-at-home mother in Denton, N.C., has stuck with
her Republican congressman, Howard Coble, but she advocates a stand against
Bush's Iraq policy that even war skeptic Coble would never stomach.
"I don't know if anyone could get him to change his policy," Harrison said,
"but Congress has control of the funds, and if they didn't have the money
they would have to change course."
Lukacs, who voted Democrat in the last election, sees things differently.
"I would like to see them do other things, like health care, but I think
they're all tied up in their underwear," she said. "For whatever reason, the
Iraq thing has become our national focus, but there are a lot of needs in
this country that they're not getting to."
Faced with such contradictory impulses, Democratic leaders can take solace
in such voters as Tad Pfister, 72, a former Republican county chairman in
Nogales, Ariz., who supported Democrat Gabrielle Giffords in her successful
bid last year to replace retiring Republican Rep. Jim Kolbe. Pfister
acknowledged his disappointment with the Democratic majority, especially
over Iraq, which turned him against his former party in the first place. But
he promised patience, and he's not going back to the GOP.
"There's no way they can do anything to get out of Iraq. They're trying
hard, but they can't succeed," he said. "We're just going to have to wait
until next election and see a Democrat in the White House."