In November, NBC released a poll showing that Americans preferred Dems take the majority in Congress, 48% to 37%. The 11-point gap is the widest enjoyed by either party on that question since the poll began asking it in 1994.
It’s only gotten worse for Republicans since.
In an ominous election-year sign for Republicans, Americans are leaning sharply toward wanting Democrats to take control of Congress, an AP-Ipsos poll finds. Democrats are favored 49% to 36%.
The poll was taken this week as Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff pleaded guilty to tax evasion, fraud and corruption charges and agreed to aid a federal investigation of members of Congress and other government officials. […]
About a third of the public, 34%, approves of the job Congress is doing, and nearly twice as many, 63%, disapprove, according to the poll of 1,001 adults taken Jan. 3-5.
There are some Republican leaders who are convinced that the corruption nightmare surrounding Congress is just a inside-the-beltway story. “Real” people don’t know and don’t care about Cunningham’s resignation, DeLay’s indictments, Frist’s investigation, and the unknown number of lawmakers soon to be implicated by Abramoff.
But polls like this one suggest people are at least tacitly aware of what’s happening on Capitol Hill; they’re not happy about it; and they’re ready to vote for a change.
Some people say they are leaning toward giving Democrats control of Congress because they want to see changes.
“I just don’t like the direction our country is going in,” said Steve Brown, a political independent from Olympia, Wash. “I think a balance of power would be beneficial right now.”
Consider this your morale boost for the day.