“The Republican-led House has proven time and again to be a tangled, dysfunctional mess that can’t get anything meaningful done. Instead, Congressional Republicans have us on shutdown watch. Combined with the attempted coup of Speaker Boehner before they adjourned for a five week break, these devastating approval ratings of House Republicans– even from their own party- are no surprise.
“Any poll of Congressional approval is a direct reflection of the Republicans in charge, their priorities, and their failure to act on important issues like a robust long-term highway bill, reauthorizing the Ex-Im Bank and a bipartisan budget that lifts sequester. Clearly, the American people are not pleased,” said Meredith Kelly of the DCCC.
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ICYMI: U.S. Congress and Its Leaders Suffer Public Discontent
Gallup
by Andrew Dugan
August 12, 2015
Full Article Here: http://www.gallup.com/poll/184556/congress-leaders-suffer-public-discontent.aspx
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Now on August recess, members of Congress returning to their districts may receive a skeptical reception from constituents, as 14% of U.S. adults approve of the job Congress is doing, down slightly from 17% in July.
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Moreover, the leaders of the two Republican-controlled chambers, House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, are suffering a similar public image problem.
A majority of Americans (54%) have an unfavorable opinion of Boehner, who is in his third term as speaker. Meanwhile, 23% view Boehner favorably, down slightly from 27% in March of this year and his lowest favorable rating as House speaker. Americans have been more likely to view Boehner negatively than positively since 2013.
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Boehner, McConnell Struggle With Republican Support
Although Boehner and McConnell lead the two chambers that often stand in opposition to President Barack Obama, the GOP faithful are hardly enthralled with them. Slightly more Republicans see Boehner unfavorably (42%) than favorably (37%), while 20% have no opinion or don’t know him. Independents and Democrats tilt more strongly in the same direction, with majorities holding an unfavorable opinion of the House speaker.
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Bottom Line
Even with the August break at hand, Congress is hardly in a position to be satisfied with its accomplishments this year. The legislative branch remains about as unpopular as it was for much of the late Bush presidency and has been throughout Obama’s tenure, despite several changes in party control and, correspondingly, in leadership.
Indeed, the main congressional leaders — House Speaker Boehner and Senator Majority Leader McConnell — are not only unpopular figures with the public at large, they are also not particularly well-received even among Republicans. For both men, at least on a national scale, the mantle of power has not come with popularity.