Nobody can remember the last time the public approval rating of Congress was so low. That’s because it’s never before been as low as it is now — 13 percent positive, according to Gallup. It’s not hard to see why: The American people are fed up with the bipartisan corruption, endless partisan bickering and lack of concrete action to address the nation’s most pressing problems, especially out-of-control spending and the exploding national debt. When nearly nine out of 10 people disapprove, there is more than enough blame to go around among Democrats and Republicans. Both parties have presided over congressional majorities as Congress sank in public esteem during the past decade.
Yesterday in this space, we focused on congressional Democrats, led by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. Democrats are focused exclusively on getting themselves and President Obama re-elected in November. Their every move between now and election day will be calculated to advance their selfish political interests, not the public interest of the country. That means more spending on favored special interests, more regulation that panders to the party’s ideologues but strangles the economy, and endless demagoguery about Republicans starving the poor, leaving children destitute, and shoving the elderly over the cliff.
