Title: Congressional approval: two thumbs way, way down
Original CoS Document (slug): congress-approval-two-thumbs-way-way-down
Login Required to view? No
Created: 2019-03-26 12:44:55
Updated: 2020-09-21 17:20:10
Published: 2019-03-28 01:00:00
Converted: 2025-04-14T21:02:48.954286545
I think it might be safe to say that no one really trusts anyone in Congress anymore. What's the latest scandal? What was the one from five minutes ago? Have we already forgotten it in our lightning-paced consumption of news and media?
Frankly, I have.
It literally takes less than 24 hours to get behind in current political stories. Today, I was reading an ancient story from two months ago on the Gallup Polling website "Americans' Trust in Government to Handle Problems at New Low."
It cites some interesting statistics:
Thirty-five percent of Americans' have a “great deal/fair amount of trust” that our government can handle its stuff.
That's horrible. The people we take the time out of our day to drive to a polling place, hauling kids or taking time out of work, or standing there starving because it's dinner time, collectively aren't doing their jobs. At the very least, they collectively suck at their jobs. I say collectively because there are always a few good people on both sides of the aisle who truly are working for the betterment of their constituents.
Some slightly less ancient data that looks at the approval ratings for Congress is even more bleak. The good news is that approval ratings are up 8% since December 2018. That bad news is that the approval is a whopping 26%.
If Congress were a high school student, they showed up to take the pretest and maybe completed one or two assignments in August, and then they've been truant for the last six months. They flunk. They fail. They fight. They don't do much of anything productive.
Real Question: if you, as a member of Congress, spend more time on Twitter than you do working in Congress (i.e. working for your constituents and not merely raising money for your next election), does that make you more of a Twit than a Congressperson?
All joking aside, the American people's approval of Congress has remained in the teens and twenties, regardless of the ruling party, for the last 14 years and was only above freezing for about five months in 2009.
When was the last time Congress had a “passing” approval rating? October through December of 2001, when it jumped 42 points to 84% approval. The country was united through tragedy following the 9/11 terror attacks, and the approval has had a steady decline since that time.
Gallop's data from 1974 - September 2001 shows that the people's confidence in Congress to handle problems stays largely in the 40s with occasional dips higher and lower.
I think it's safe to say Americans haven't had much faith in Congress to do a good job for the last 45 years or more, a good 10 years before I was even born.
I think our Founding Fathers, born of their experience in separating from a tyrannical English monarchy, foresaw how even the idealistically representative government they established could, over time, deteriorate away from what it was originally intended.
Enter Article V of the Constitution:
The Congress, whenever two thirds of both Houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose Amendments to this Constitution, or, on the Application of the Legislatures of two thirds of the several States, shall call a Convention for proposing Amendments, which, in either Case, shall be valid to all Intents and Purposes, as Part of this Constitution, when ratified by the Legislatures of three fourths of the several States, or by Conventions in three fourths thereof, as the one or the other Mode of Ratification may be proposed by the Congress; Provided that no Amendment which may be made prior to the Year One thousand eight hundred and eight shall in any Manner affect the first and fourth Clauses in the Ninth Section of the first Article; and that no State, without its Consent, shall be deprived of its equal Suffrage in the Senate.
Long story short, the Founding Fathers built into the Constitution a protection against an out-of-control, feckless, unruly Congress. The states have the ability to come together and propose amendments that are not subject to the whims of current political trends, which have become about as transient as fashion trends.
The Convention of States is making great strides towards curtailing a failing Congress and placing power back into the hands of the people. Look at their progress map to see how close we are to “the Application of the Legislatures of two thirds of the several States, [and calling] a Convention for proposing Amendments.” That's 1780s speak for sticking it to the man!
Well, really, it's the Founding Fathers' little gift to all of us, so that we are never governed by an elitist ruling class such as they were subject to and fought against.
So, how do you feel about Congress and their ability to do their jobs without bias, hidden agendas, or placating an aggressive media?
If you, like so many others, want better and want to be part of making it better, join the Convention of States. Join us regular folks who woke up and realized, “Hey, I can do this.”
You don't have to be a lawyer or a politician or anything in particular. It doesn't matter if you have degrees or not. There are no prerequisites. You can be who you are. A citizen who matters and has voice. You just have to use your voice.
Will you?
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