AP-GfK Poll: Obama more popular than Congress

WASHINGTON – Americans have come to detest Congress ever more deeply as it nears the end of a nasty fight over health care. But more than half still back President Barack Obama, a bright spot for a Democratic Party counting on its leader to help stave off expected losses in elections this fall. The latest Associated Press-GfK poll found that fewer people approve of Congress than at any point in Obama's presidency.

Support has dropped significantly since January to a dismal 22 percent as the health care debate has roiled Capitol Hill. Neither Republicans nor Democrats are safe; half of all people say they want to fire their congressman.

As poor as the ratings are for Congress in general, people seem slightly more unhappy with Republicans than Democrats — another bit of potentially good news for Obama's party.

Just 30 percent approve of how Republicans in Congress are doing their jobs compared with 36 percent for Democrats.

Republicans still trail Democrats on the question of who should win control of Congress come November; 44 percent say Democrats, 38 percent say Republicans.

And the GOP has a slight disadvantage on two issues that voters deem among the most important — the economy and health care.

news.yahoo.com...

Yes, it's another poll. The real tidbit of info in this article however is not about Obama....it's about Republicans.

Just 30 percent approve of how Republicans in Congress are doing their jobs compared with 36 percent for Democrats.

People, luckily, still do NOT approve of Republicans as they have a lower approval rating than Democrats. I think that Senator Bunning's attempted blockage of unemployment benefits, no matter the reason, has hurt the Republican Party.

People still have not forgotten how we got into this mess in the first place thankfully.

I hope this means a clean slate in the next 2 elections but I don't think it will happen. Both parties are just reappointing replacements to take the place of incumbents in the coming elections so they can keep their seats in their parties...and then people won't actually be voting an incumbent back in...so it's still a win situation for them both.

As for Obama, he is doing what many Presidents do...trying to distance himself from Washington as being above the fray. He's not however. I'm surprised his support is this high at this point. Maybe those who support him haven't realized that he's backed out on most of his campaign promises.


[edit on 10-3-2010 by David9176]

Hi David - I am one of those who disapprove of Republicans also but not because of what you mentioned. I disapprove of them for not calling out the Dems every single minute of every single day for all the stupidity that is going on. I want them to be the party of NO right now and they aren't doing a good enough job. Part of me understands the game plan to sit back and let them self destruct, which the Dems are doing marvelously, but another part of me doesn't want the US screwed with a bizarre health care bill that nobody in Congress has read.

I think every Republican should vote no for extending unemployment benefits and buying out people's mortgages and giving out stupid tax cuts for buying electric golf carts, and continuing to waste MY heard earned tax dollars. I don't go to work everyday so people can site at home and collect "unemployment" for 99 weeks. If you can't find a job in two years you don't want to work. This is one of the reason's I'm beginning to have a change of heart for illegal immigrants. At least they will take any job available and work work work.

A few headlines that ought to be posted together:-

AP-GfK Poll: Eating dog turd is more popular than eating ground glass
AP-GfK Poll: Sawing your leg off with a blunt hacksaw is more popular than suicide
AP-GfK Poll: Chronic heart disease more popular than Aids
AP-GfK Poll: Goering is more popular than Hitler
AP-GfK Poll: Obama more popular than Congress
AP-GfK Poll: Seeing your Pop die in a road accident more popular than seeing your kid burn alive in a burning building

reply to post by David9176


That sounds about right. The generic approval rating for Congress usually runs about 20-30 points less than the sitting president. The aggregate approval rating of Congress right now is running at 19.3% compared to 75.7% disapproval according to RCP. For Obama its 48.9 to 45.8.

The problem is that even though Congress has such a terrible approval rating as a whole, people tend to like their own individual representatives. That's why a lot of these bums won't get thrown out this fall. That's also why Obama's support is still halfway decent, in spite of polls showing that people are very dissatisfied with the direction of the country. People often won't blame an individual person that they voted for because they don't like to admit when they're wrong.

Congress doesn't have a shoot show in hell of matching up to hopenosis - this is why they're doing not so good. Plus they're seen to make more 'decisions' and more screw ups I guess? What can't a govt screw up... jeepers, they've almost broken their own matrix!