The Public Still Has A Very Poor View Of Congress

These charts are made with information in a recent Economist / YouGov Poll -- done between December 3rd and 5th of a random national sample of 1,417 adults, with a margin of error of 3.2 points.

It shows that the public approval of Congress has not improved since the election. Only 14% of the public approves of the job Congress is doing -- and that disapproval crosses gender, age, and racial groups.

The question, of course, is what will the public think of the new Congress that convenes in January. That new Congress, like this one, will be controlled by the Republican Party. The second and third charts above show what the public thinks of both Republican and Democratic congresspeople. Note that the Democrats are viewed slightly more favorable than the Republicans -- and the Republicans are disapproved of slightly more than the Democrats.

Add to this the fact that the Republicans are currently planning to kill Obamacare, privatize Medicare, and cut Social Security benefits, and I think the Republicans are playing with fire. Millions will lose their health insurance when Obamacare is killed, and the public doesn't want Medicare and Social Security to be messed with (just properly funded).

I think it is likely that the new Congress will be viewed as unfavorably as the current Congress, and with a Republican also in the White House, the Republicans are going to have to accept the blame for anything that happens. They can no longer blame their obstruction and incompetence on the Democrats.