These poll numbers were released earlier today by Rasmussen Reports -- "an electronic publishing firm specializing in the collection, publication, and distribution of public opinion polling information."
73% Agree That Washington Is "Broken"
Friday, February 19, 2010
Seventy-three percent (73%) of U.S. voters agree with Vice President Joseph Biden that "Washington right now is broken."
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 15% disagree with the vice president's analysis of the political situation in the nation's capital. Twelve percent (12%) more are not sure.
Yet while 87% of Mainstream voters say Washington is broken, 73% of the Political Class disagree.
However, 75% of all voters now say they are angry at the government's current policies , up four points from late November and up nine points since September. Sixty percent (60%) think neither Republican political leaders nor Democratic political leaders have a good understanding of what is needed today.
Sixty-three percent (63%) believe, generally speaking, that it would be better for the country if most incumbents in Congress were defeated this November. Their confidence in their own congressman also continues to fall.
That's because voters are less tolerant of congressional gridlock. Fifty-seven percent (57%) now see passing good legislation as a more important role for Congress than preventing bad legislation from becoming law. Thirty-seven percent (37%) believe preventing bad laws from being enacted is more important. But this marks a nine-point shift in favor of good legislation from a survey in early November when voters were nearly tied on the question.
In his new book, In Search of Self-Governance, Scott Rasmussen observes that the American people are "united in the belief that our political system is broken, that politicians are corrupt, and that neither major political party has the answers." He adds that "the gap between Americans who want to govern themselves and the politicians who want to rule over them may be as big today as the gap between the colonies and England during the 18th century."
The book has earned positive reviews from Larry Sabato, Pat Caddell, Bill Kristol, Joe Trippi and others . In Search of Self-Governance is available from Rasmussen Reports and at Amazon.com .
Voters ages 40 to 64 are more likely than those in any other age group to see Washington as broken. White voters are twice as likely as African-Americans to believe that to be true. Those earning $60,000 to $100,000 per year are the most critical of the current political situation in Washington, DC, of any income group.
Eighty-three percent (83%) of Republicans and 80% of voters not affiliated with either major party think Washington is broken, compared to 57% of Democrats.
Democrats control both the White House and Congress and therefore are setting the legislative agenda. So perhaps it's not surprising that 64% of Democratic voters see passing good legislation as the more important role for Congress, while Republicans are evenly divided on the question. However, 60% of unaffiliated voters agree that passing good laws is more important.
It's the content of recent legislation, though, that has been triggering much of the debate in Washington.
Most voters continue to oppose the health care reform plan proposed by President Obama and congressional Democrats. The president has called for a televised bipartisan summit to get his plan back on track, but 61% say Congress should scrap it and start all over again .
While the president and other senior Democrats this week have been praising the $787-billion economic stimulus plan passed by Congress a year ago, voters continue to have mixed feelings about it. Thirty-five percent (35%) agree that the economic stimulus plan has helped the economy, but nearly as many (33%) believe it has hurt the economy. Twenty-six percent (26%) say it has had no impact at all.
Looking back, most voters still don't approve of the government bailouts of the financial industry and troubled automakers General Motors and Chrysler.
Despite the president's stepped-up outreach to Republicans that began with his State of the Union address in late January, voters view Obama as more confrontational now than at any point in his presidency.
The founding document of the United States, the Declaration of Independence, states that governments derive "their just powers from the consent of the governed." Today, however, just 21% of voters nationwide believe that the federal government enjoys the consent of the governed .
Indiana Democratic Senator Evan Bayh in his surprise announcement Monday that he will not seek reelection this November cited the current political climate in Washington, D.C. as one of his chief reasons for not running again. A closer look at the numbers in his potential Senate race, however, suggests that the unhappiness with Congress is being felt closer to home.
Rasmussen Reports also has recently surveyed Senate races in Arkansas , California , Colorado , Illinois , Indiana , Kentucky , Louisiana , Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire , North Dakota , Florida , Connecticut , Pennyslvania , Ohio , Oregon , Washington and Wisconsin . Most show a troubling political environment for the Democratic candidates.