And we owe it all to Tom DeLay

May 10, 2005

A new Gallup poll is out reflecting public opinion of Congress. I think it’s fair to say the institution has seen better days.

These are not good days for Congress. The latest Gallup survey shows that only 35% of Americans approve of the way Congress is handling its job, and almost 4 in 10 say most Republicans and, separately, most Democrats in Congress are unethical. When asked about members of Congress going on a trip funded by a lobbyist, an action that has caused House Majority Leader Tom DeLay to come under severe criticism and possible investigation by the House ethics committee, more than 8 in 10 say it is at least a “moderately serious” ethical problem.

Overall, 35% of Americans approve of the job Congress is doing, while 57% disapprove. It’s the worst numbers for Congress in about eight years. It’s not just partisan — just under half of the nation’s Republicans (49%) support the way the Republican-led Congress is operating.

Tom DeLay, whose scandals have no doubt contributed to Congress’ decline in popularity, has even more cause for concern. A plurality of Gallup respondents (38%) have an unfavorable opinion of him, which is an all-time high for DeLay, while the number of people who say they’ve never heard of him has dropped to an all-time low (22%). The scandals, in other words, are taking their toll.

As for DeLay’s “predicament,” a combined 82% said it was either “moderately” or “very” serious if a member of Congress goes on a trip paid for by a lobbyist. DeLay, of course, has done this repeatedly.

How long, do you suppose, will the Republican congressional caucus consider the status quo acceptable? The public isn’t satisfied with what they’re seeing, they think lawmakers are corrupt, and they strongly disapprove of the Majority Leader and his behavior. Keep up the good work, guys!

Yes, Dems didn’t fare too well in the Gallup results either, but this is symptomatic of a public that desperately wants change and isn’t fond of incumbents. Remind me, which party is running the government these days?

If only the mid-terms weren’t 17 months away….

Is this piece at Smirking Chimp part of the answer? The vibes about Dems today, across the ‘net, are not good. My own feeling is that our party is letting us down, badly.

  • But just a reminder-Tom DeLay actually wasn’t the top trip-getter in the Congress, and there were quite a few Democrats above him, so before we get all gleeful in bashing DeLay on this, let’s clean house first.

  • well, first off, i don’t want delay to go: i want him to remain the face of house republicanism for the next 17 months.

    second, i don’t care if there are democrats with dirty hands: they can go too. However, it’s not the number of trips, Brian, it’s who paid for them and what was the quid-pro-quo. That’s why it’s only Delay’s trip funders who are under investigation.

    PW, unlike the republicans, the democrats don’t function in a Leninist, democratic centralism way. It is going to take a while for the Dems to function better; it isn’t going to happen overnight.

  • The media is doing this, too.

    When have they ever credit the Congress with anything?

    It is in the interest of the plutocrats to disempower Congress, since they have found it is far easier to simply win the Presidency.

  • The assumption that this is good news for Democrats is incorrect. People do not like Congress at all. As a result turnout in 2006 may be down. If turnout goes down Democrats get hurt, witness 1994 one of the lowest turnouts for an off year election in history. What Democrats need to do in the next 17 months is establish an alternative to the current bunch in Washington and energize people to vote.

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