Arkansas Blog

Thank goodness someone finally published a poll on the subject of congressional disapproval. It always irked me to hear some idiot Republican mouthing about how unpopular "Nancy Pelosi's" Democratic Congress is, when anyone who could empty a boot with directions on the heel would know it was the REPUBLICANS in congress who were so disliked. I hope they just double down on their conservative obstructionism and out-Delay themselves all the way to oblivion.

????????????????

Reublican APPROVAL rating is 25 % and Democrat APPROVAL rating is at 37 % and Democrats are crowing?

No wonder that bunch is so sorry.

This difference demonstrates the ignorance of Americans about which party has been in control of the congress for the last 2 years. It also illustrates the ignorance of people in understanding the role of Christopher Dodd and Barney Frank in the banking scandals.

Perhaps I've let the last eight years curdle my optimism, but I take little comfort that folks have finally awoken to the reality that they allowed a daddy's-boy moron to steal the presidency, march us into a based-on-lies immoral war and engineer the biggest bank heist ever...all while they waved flags and cheered the persecution of the non-believers. Before Monkeyboy's destruction I would've cheered the 'better late than never' view...but that was when a bad president just wasn't a good president. That was when I had NO idea that one president could wreak this much destruction...or that my fellow Americans could be so easily scared into sacrificing the Constitution by a gang of Saudi thugs.

From Gallup: "Congress' overall approval rating -- asked without reference to either party and measured in a Dec. 4-7 Gallup Poll -- is just 20%. Typically, both Congressional parties receive higher approval ratings than the institution overall. Asking about the individual parties appears to cause respondents to answer in more partisan terms. In general, ratings of Congress overall do not vary much by party affiliation, but the approval ratings of the parties in Congress show large differences when looking at party affiliation."

"...do take note that the public differentiates substantially between Democrat and Republican members of Congress."

Democratic, please. I get enough of the right-wing linguistic games from other sites/stations/presidents. Thanks.

Zelda,

Just remember that "Monkeyboy's" bank heist was engineered by a Democrat and approved by a Democratic controlled congress. Democrats were big recipients of money from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac - particularly Christopher Dodd, Barney Frank, and the anointed on Barack Obama. Bush's treasury secretary who masterminded the bank Heist Paulson is also a Democrat. The No Chilld Left Behind program was primarily authored by Teddy kennedy. Democrats blocked better regulation of Fannie and Freddie while collecting huge campaign contributions from Fannie and Freddie.

Democrats in congress voted overwhelmingly to support the Iraq war and its continued funding. Democratic Senators like Hillary and John F. Kerry independently came to the same conclusions about weapons of mass destruction as "monkey boy."

Bush has been a terrible President because he abandoned conservative principles. He and the drunken sailors in congress spent way too much money. Now we're being told that the answer to our problems is even more spending. ..

In four more years, we'll be owned by the Chinese.

It's ironic how the Republicans can have total control of all three branches of government for almost a decade and yet still find ways to blame their failures on the Democrats.

There are two fundamental problems facing the GOP that must be addressed before the party goes forward. 1) The failed philosophy that unrestrained dog-eat-dog capitalism is the best system of governance; and 2) the total lack of accountability. No one in the GOP ever fails. It's always someone else's fault. If the GOP were my kid, I'd ground her until she developed a more mature attitude.

To paraphrase Dale Bumpers............

When they say it's not about racism......it's about racism.

Severus, why don't you learn to count? Since the 2006 election the Senate has not been controlled by Democrats. The count is 49 Republicans, 49 Democrats and 2 Independents. 1 Independent votes with the Democrats, the other is Joe LIEberman who votes Republican on the important stuff.

Then you have to add in the Lincoln & Pryor and 2 or 3 other Democrats who vote like they're Republicans. Net result, the Republicans control the Senate. And admitting that Bush was a disaster and then saying....and those Democrats supported him..just won't work. Though I will agree that there is no excuse for the Democrats who voted to let Bush invade Iraq. I wouldn't mind every one of them drummed out of office, including Hillary. If my wife and I were smart enough to look at the evidence and conclude there was no reason to invade Iraq....no elected official has an excuse....none of them.

Oh don't worry, severus, I've not forgotten how culpable/enabling our Democrats were during the last eight years. (And I have NO problem admitting that for all our derision of Dubya's intellect/etc. he pretty much run circles around the Democrats and ultimately got 98 percent of everything he desired...turning SS over to the Maddoffs of Wall Street accounts for most of the two percent.) But that doesn't negate the reality that Monkeyboy was president and Republicans were in complete charge until 06. Whether it's a Democratic or Republican president, the buck stops on their doorstop. President Shit for Brains could have vetoed any legislation he saw fit to...so blaming Ted Kennedy et al for crap like No Child Left Behind or for the Republican bank heist is dishonest.

Though it's good that you can now admit that Monkeyboy's not a so-called conservative, not your guy, severus; like so many other Republicans your new-found awareness means little given the state of things. Plus any Bush criticism seems to always be tempered by a desire to still blame the Democrats for much of what's occurred the last eight years (If you came to this Bush awareness in 2000/2004 than forgive my generalization.)

The truth is that Bill Clinton left the country with a budget surplus...despite being hounded by Inquisitors like Starr...and he did it despite having a Republican majority for most of his Presidency. Monkeyboy/Republicans were in complete charge for six years...and here we are...with a socialized Wall Street, two wars and a legacy of torture/Constitution shredding.

I thought the Chinese already owned us...didn't know we had for more years.

Well...then, not than.

In an otherwise fine post Mz Z

"But that doesn't negate the reality that Monkeyboy was president and Republicans were in complete charge until 06. "

DEMOCRATS TOOK CONTROL OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVE IN JAN 2007.

AS DBI noted until Jan 20, 09 The U.S. Senate & Presidency is still run by RWingers.

While it's nice to be able to blame Fannie and Freddie,

It's the biggest lie currently circulated. There will be bigger whoppers which Serv will jump on as soon as a Rwingnut-FOX gives it form. Desperate people do that when their sick ideas fail.

The lead mortgage ratings agency during the 2004-2007 mortgage feeding frenzy said they would

"rate a cow."

Recall dear Wingnuts, it was Bush's "OWNERSHIP SOCIETY" that led to massive market malfunctions.

NOW FOR THE MILLION-DOLLAR PRIZE:

...........WHICH SENATOR KILLED THE FANNIE-FREDDIE Reform Act?......

(hint- he did it to preserve "free markets" and because Bushed told him too)

.

>>>In four more years, we'll be owned by the Chinese.<<<
Severus

Guess who will provide them the money to "own us?"

WalMart, the slave traders.

Free Markets ya know.

.

Our Democratic leadership is still weak and sometimes as bad as the Republicans at supporting. defending and sticking with the U.S. Constitution and laws, i.e. the Burris fiasco.

If they continue to quickly discard the U.S. Constitution and laws as they allowed the Republican majority to do with relatively little opposition then the Democratic approval rating will not increase, but will sink to match the Republicans.

If the handling of the Burris situation is an example of their future work and adherence to Constitution and the law, their disapproval ratings will soon match or exceed the Republicans. The honeymoon will not last long under the stress of this economic and international relations morass the Bush administration has created. Only moral fiber and leadership will maintain approval in the trials and slow recovery progress to come.

Indulging in situational ethics, political image, and daily political tactical expediency will strip public support away faster than Bush lost control.