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Poll: Approval of GOP in Congress Falls to 16%

By Jeralyn, Section Elections 2006
Posted on Wed Oct 18, 2006 at 08:22:14 PM EST
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A new Wall St. Journal/ NBC Poll finds support for Republicans in Congress has dropped to 16%, its lowest level in the 12 years they've been in power.

Public support for Republicans' control of the U.S. Congress has eroded to its lowest point since the party took over 12 years ago. And with just 19 days until the midterm elections, both President George W. Bush and his party are in worse shape with voters than Democrats were in the October before they lost their House and Senate majorities in 1994.

A big factor is scandals, both corruption and sex.

By 52% to 37%, voters say they want Democrats rather than Republicans to control Congress after the Nov. 7 election. That wide 15-point Democratic advantage is another record in the history of the Journal/NBC poll.

What does it mean? I'd say watch for Republicans to pull all the dirty tricks they can in the next two weeks.

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    Poll: Approval of GOP in Congress Falls to 16% | 4 comments (4 topical)
    Approval of GOP in Congress Falls to 16% (none / 0) (#1)
    by Daniel DiRito on Wed Oct 18, 2006 at 09:49:02 PM EST
    Its long been said that what goes around comes around and this new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll seems to be an indication that the GOP is fast approaching a first hand encounter with the short end of the proverbial stick. For the Party that has sought to make terror and fear the surf and turf of their pre-election voter menu, they may instead find themselves bogged down in the sands of scandal as a fast approaching wave is about to sweep them out of power in a classic example of voter house cleaning.

    Clearly, the most significant finding in this new poll is that the Democrats may be finally closing the deal with voters...something they have been unable to achieve in recent election cycles. If the Democrats are in fact now seen as a favorable alternative to the GOP, it may well signal that the country has not only rejected more of the same from the Republican Party but decided that the nation needs to move in a decidedly new direction.

    Read more here:

    www.thoughttheater.com

    Re: Poll: Approval of GOP in Congress Falls to 16 (none / 0) (#2)
    by Edger on Wed Oct 18, 2006 at 09:51:20 PM EST
    I'd say watch for Republicans to pull all the dirty tricks they can in the next two weeks.

    You don't seem to have anymore confidence that they can ever learn than I do.

    16%. 16%?

    For their supporters here who refer to a "close election" when they talk about this, I have one piece of advice: There is still time for you to pretend you were onto them the whole time. But not much...

    Re (none / 0) (#3)
    by Deconstructionist on Thu Oct 19, 2006 at 08:18:59 AM EST
      I don't if it's a case of the Democrats "closing the deal" as much as it is a case of the Republicans utterly blowing the deal and the Democrats being the only option.

      Nothing much seems to indicate any particular attraction the Democrats. It seems to be all about repulsion from the Republicans. Democrats would be well advised not to mistake the disgust with the Republicans with a positive view of them. Democrats have not done much of anything to attract anyone. That might be a sound strategy in the moment where discontent with the Reoublicans is so high, but 2008 will likely require more than simply not screwing up.

    Re: Poll: Approval of GOP in Congress (none / 0) (#4)
    by Patrick on Thu Oct 19, 2006 at 04:12:45 PM EST
    Sorry the poll is not indicative of Republicans in Congress, but Congress as a whole.  

    Here are the numbers from the WSJ/NBC poll.  Please note the question that was asked...

    "In general, do you approve or disapprove of the job that Congress is doing?"  

    Since the R's control Congress, they bear the lions share of the responsibility, but it is patently unfair and misleading to claim the approval rating is only for "GOP in Congress."

    Here are some other polls

    Poll: Approval of GOP in Congress Falls to 16% | 4 comments (4 topical)