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Originally Posted by nonplussed
In reading another thread about holding Democrats accountable I saw a comment about the very low approval rating for Congress in the polls. The author of the comment took this to be evidence of the public's dissatisfaction with the Democratic Party's performance. Is it really?
I think not. And I think it is worthy of a thread of its own.
If a pollster asked me about Congress I, too, would say that I disapprove of its performance. But I blame the Republicans for that. They are using the filibuster to block bills in the Senate at something like three times the all time record pace.
It is just not true that the Democrats control Congress. They do control the House, and get bills passed there all the time. But the Senate is 50-49 Republican controlled (not 51-49 Dem). I say that because Joe Lieberman is a Republican for all practical purposes and Tim Johnson has been incapacitated for the entire term. No wonder they can't stop the war or do much of anything to undo the damage caused by conservative rule
So who is more to blame for the poor performance of the current Congress: The Democratic Party or the Republican Party?
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I think people in general have disliked the government for a few years, doesn't matter who's in control.
The biggest reasons are the economy is shit. Some on here can argue but....the US Dollar has never been at a lower level. Unemployment maybe down but wages are stagnant to lowering.
Then there's open borders.... when the vast majority say they want tighter borders and a control on Illegal immigration, yet the Feds, in both parties from the Pres to Congress talk amnesty and open borders.... the government isn't listening to the people. (BTW until there is tighter border control, ANY "Patriot Act laws or Anti-Terrorism laws are bullshit.)
People see the government getting more involved in their lives and taxes going up, yet, fewer services offered.
People see the war, they want out, they don't like how it started and how it has divided us, but there hasn't been 1 good plan on either side to end it or to win it. It's a money pit and people see it as just one in many ways government is corrupt.
Speaking of corruption, we have elected officials getting away with bloody murder, so to speak and nothing happens.
People see that the campaigns have become all about raising money and NOT about facing the issues, listening to and helping the people.
It's not one party, it's both parties and unlike some who want to claim it's one issue or one party.... I tend to see it as the above and I believe the vast majority do to.
I think we'll see voter burnout next year and extremely low turnouts.... this works for those elite that want to control the country (both parties).... They realize if we start this whole "campaign" bullshit a year and a half 2 years before the election and we have the press (from the NYT to Limbaugh and all in between) shove it down their throats on a daily basis, come primary time, the people will be burnt out.... come election time... very few will even care.
When you have people afraid of their own government in the USA, when you have idiots who take away people's rights and control elections to do so, when you have politicians who add to problems by taking away rights and being pessimistic instead of saying, "Let's work together and solve this problem." The people just give up, see no changes, see anyone who may have good ideas not have the money to run for dog catcher.... they give up.
As I stated in a thread a while ago.... optimism is hard and takes time because it has to flow uphill and keep working on it's momentum knowing it has to hit the majority of the space but can't hit it all.... pessimism flows from the bottom down filling all crevices and leaves nothing but despair and in the end destruction.
The sad thing is..... people I believe have given up and have no optimism left in the country. They need a strong leader that can undo what the past 18 years (probably in truth the last 30 years) worth of presidents and congresses have done.... and he needs to be able to do so in 1 term.