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Soapbox Philosophy: Unhappy with Bush, Congress
by Gregory R. Norfleet · Op-Ed · July 25, 2007


Polls, like tests, capture a moment in time. For the same reason that teachers give tests every few weeks, polling companies like Ipsos and Zogby will pose the same questions throughout the year. Opinions change with circumstances and knowledge.
So, not surprisingly, we find ourselves surrounded by Democrat presidential wanna-bes running around with President Bush’s poll figures, which have been hovering between 30 and 42 percent for the past year.

The two supposed front-running Dems, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, have railed against Bush, particularly on the war, trying to capitalize on his low approval rating.

What they have missed, however, is that their own ratings — not their chances of winning the Democrat ticket, but of their current job in Congress — have dropped even lower than Bush.

A lot lower.

Zogby polling shows the Democrat-controlled Congress — which includes Clinton and Obama — with an abysmal 14 percent approval rating. That’s 20 points lower than the pathetic numbers from Bush’s last poll.

Here’s what’s worse: When voters went to the polls in November to throw the Republican bums out of the majority in both the House and Senate, that Congress had a 23 percent approval rating — nine points higher than the current Congress.

It’s important to note that this polling data does not reflect how people view their own representatives in Washington. When asked about that, people tend to think more about how that representative has been able to bring federal funding, jobs and opportunity to their particular part of the country.

However, when asked about the Congress as a whole, people tend to think about national or international issues. The two obvious ones are the War on Terror and illegal immigration.

I’m going to resist the immense temptation to discuss the complex issues regarding the War on Terror and focus instead on immigration. Here’s an issue where the American people are largely united against Congress. Why is it that the large majority of Americans reject offering citizenship to illegal immigrants, yet both Congress and Bush want to make it available?

While I don’t advocate politicians changing their positions based on poll data, it surprises me that the executive branch and a majority of the legislative branch continue down a path that the U.S. population opposes. Let it die.

And while I find polls interesting, especially leading up to a presidential vote, I’ve learned something else: Polls tell you little of similarities.

Covering news in Illinois, I met Obama twice: Once before he was elected to the Senate, and once after. He’s as bright, dynamic and articulate as I’ve heard others talk about him. He’s has good, strong American values and relates well to his audience. He reminds me of the times I interviewed former Illinois Senator Paul Simon who, even though they shared the same political party, was quite conservative in comparison.

Most candidates all seem to be, basically, the same. Their differences lie in the details — how do we accomplish these goals?

Here’s one thing the polls do tell us: Neither the president nor Congress are making us happy by working against each other.