Polls
May 11th, 2007 |Congress is polling at 35% approval, Bush is polling at 32% approval.
Conservatives are using the low Congress approval numbers as proof that the problem is “government” and not just the President. What they are not taking into account is the individual approval ratings of each member of Congress in their own district. For obvious reasons, members of Congress are usually popular with those that voted them into office.
In addition, individual members of Congress, even the most divisive, are polling higher than both Congress as a whole as well as the President. For example, House Speaker Pelosi is polling 10 points higher than the President and Congress nationally.
What does this mean? It means that Congressional approval numbers are meaningless since “Congress” is a faceless entity. The President’s approval numbers are still meaningful since they are identified directly with an individual and his administration.
Ergo, regardless of what conservatives are saying about the popularity of “Congress”, this President remains historically unpopular.
