The Public Is In An Anti-Incumbent Mood

(The cartoon above is by John Darkow in the Columbia Daily Tribune.)

It is sort of a tradition in this country to complain about government, especially Congress. However, the current view of the American public toward the current Congress goes well beyond good-natured ribbing or even irascibility. The people are downright angry with the elected officials in Congress -- all of them (in both parties). Most polls show they are a bit madder at Republicans, because of their obstructionism and refusal to compromise, but the truth is that every elected official should be a little worried -- because the public is definitely in an anti-incumbent mood. It wouldn't surprise me at all if some current elected officials find themselves unemployed after the 2014 election.

The charts below were made from information contained in a new Rasmussen Poll (done on December 10th and 11th of 1,000 likely voters nationwide -- with a margin of error of 3 points). The polls clearly reflects this growing anti-incumbent mood of the country. Note that only 7% of the public thinks Congress is doing a good job, and 66% don't think members of Congress care what their constituents think.

But it gets even worse. That anti-incumbent mood has gone from just members of Congress in general to the specific representatives in each district. A majority (53%) doesn't believe their own representative cares what they think, and a plurality (47%) doesn't think their representative is the best person for the job. And a slightly smaller plurality (43%) doesn't think their own representative deserves to be re-elected.

These are the worst numbers I've seen in quite a while (about people talking about their own representative). Usually, even though people don't like Congress members in general, they usually make an exception for their own representative. That doesn't seem to be happening as much now -- and that could make the 2014 election very interesting.