Posted on 03/23/2007 1:14:11 PM PDT by janereinheimer
APPROVAL RATINGS FOR CONGRESS DIPPING (AGAIN)
Many of the newbies rode into town and thought they were going to shine like radiant little stars. After all, they had been promised --and had promised the taxpayers back home -- that they were about to solve all the problems of the western world. And maybe even Antarctica, since that was a subject that also warmed their hearts.
Little did they realize that there would actually be people in Washington who did not agree with them. Nobody ever told them that. Here they thought they'd be insulated from those mean old Republicans and others, even some in their own party, who disagreed with them.
Somewhere along the way, they actually had to confront regular, ordinary taxpayers who also did not agree with them.
What had happened to their world? The grandeur of their innocence suddenly started to smell just as bad as the very people they replaced. They were actually taking all that PAC money that seemed to be just falling out of the sky.
"Here, have some more," the PACmasters gleefully told them. "You've got all those campaign debts to pay off. Why not start off with a clean slate when you get sworn in."
"Are you sure?" the newbies asked.
"Sure, I'm sure," the PACmasters whispered in their cute little ears.
"Is it legal?" the newbies asked.
"Of course, it's legal," the PACmasters assured the newbie baffoons. "Would I lie to you?"
"I guess not," the innocent little newbies said, tentatively.
That was then, and this is now.
They rode into town and joined the Big Mess on the Potomac. There are Democrats who'd rather be caught dead than be caught actually speaking to a Republican.
And there are Republicans who run the other way when they see anything that looks like a Democrat coming their way.
Then there are all those protestors. How did they get into the back hallways anyway?
How are we supposed to sneak out of the chamber and slink back to our offices if there are all these newspaper types and protestors hanging around back there ready to pounce on us?
Get them out of here. They can't tell us what to do. We are the Congress!
Sure you are. And your approval rating is slipping again. Didn't you hear?
In fact your approval rating is actually less than that of the president. You know, the guy you've all been told to disagree with. How do you like that?
So just remember that Gallup says only 28% of the American taxpayers actually approve of what you're doing up here under the Dome. Yes, newbies, that means you.
President Bush's overall leadership approval rating has jumped up to 41.6%. So next time you think the people in the United States don't like him or approve of the job he's doing, just remember that he's nearly twenty points ahead of you Domed Ones.
Oh, and by the way, the Republicans? The taxpayers gave a 75.9% approval rating for the ones you apparently don't want to emulate since they're on the "wrong side" of the aisle. (Investors Business Daily, March 2007 poll).
From a historical perspective, Truman left office with a 22% rating.*
Johnson left office with ratings in the low 30s.*
Bush 41 left office with ratings at 28%.*
And Bush 43? He's doing okay. Just remember, his approval is better than yours.
Don't crow too much. Unless you want to be a one-term newbie. That could happen too. Especially if you let Aunt Nancy whip you into her image. She's gonna be a one-term speaker, probably.
She's only just kidding when she says she's the most powerful woman in America. She doesn't really believe it. And you shouldn't either. She can't even keep her troops in line.
Why just today, for instance, the big fat initiative to de-fund the troop needs in Iraq and Afghanistan failed in Aunt Nancy's House. Out of all that political rhethoric that's been flying around, when the final votes were counted, it was 218 to fund, and 212 to not fund.
That means our soldiers get more ammo, food, and armor from the taxpayers back home.
Not from the domed ones. The troops over there will remember that you guys under the dome were going to leave them high and dry because you thought you were supposed to play political war games with their Commander in Chief.
The groundswell you hear in the background is called Troop Surge.
Of course, you realize that this whole deal will be vetoed if your bill, which carries a March 2008 deadline, goes through the Senate. Since none of you guys are military experts, how in the world do you presume to tell our best and our brightest how to win a war? Or how long it ought to take?
So just get back to doing the job you were elected to do. If you had wanted to run a war, you should have joined the military. Politicians do not know how to do that, so leave it to the experts who are trained to be the best fighting team in the world.
ADD: Besides, who still even considers "approval ratings" as a meaningful measure of anything in these cynical times?
We need to append the old adage about "Damned Lies" to read thusly:
"There are lies, damned lies, then, their are Statistics AND approval ratings".
Peope who factor in approval ratings are slack jawed nose pickers at the end of the waiting line.
Well, yeah. These are politicians, you know! They're only "nice" when they're candidates. After they're elected, they have to be surrounded by a kadzillion bodyguards. No one, constituents or otherwise, have no access to them. Therefore, no accountability. I think I left out about three in-between points of logic in that argument to get to the end point.
ADD: And don't think for a moment that all of us ignored the "three in-between points" you left out MIss Janie.
Alright,assume the position and cooperate. What color handcuffs do you wish to wear while we make you take the "Perp Walk" to the station?
You are such a bad child Janie!
LOL
My favorite color is redwhiteandblue
"Dimwit?" Well, thank you very much./s
Don't take it too seriously.
Some people think it's cute to watch you moving your lips while reading these chat items.
Approval ratings really were created by God to help you make good political judgements.
You really are quite a nasty and unpleasant little piece of goods aren't you? I can't possibly take you seriously, and hope not to hear from you again, get it? Is that clear enough for you to understand?
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