WP: House Incumbents at Risk, Poll Finds

[RamboLiberal]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/07/AR2006080701120.html

Most Americans describe themselves as being in an anti-incumbent mood heading into this fall's midterm congressional elections, and the percentage of people who approve of their own representative's performance is at the lowest level since 1994, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

As attention turns to Connecticut for Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman's Democratic primary showdown today, the poll found some of the same political currents that have buffeted his campaign flowing through the national electorate. The public has soured on politicians backing the Iraq war, which Democrats consider the most important issue of the election.

Eighty-one percent of Democrats say the war was not worth fighting, and 70 percent feel that way "strongly." A majority of Democrats, 54 percent, say a candidate endorsing Bush's Iraq policy would be less likely to get their vote, compared with 37 percent for whom it would not make much difference. Two in three Democrats say it is time to begin decreasing troop levels in Iraq, although only one in four supports immediate withdrawal.

Especially worrisome for members of Congress is that the proportion of Americans who approve of their own representative's performance has fallen sharply. Traditionally, voters may express disapproval of Congress as a whole but still vote for their own member, even from the majority party. But 55 percent now approve of their lawmaker, a seven-percentage-point drop over three months and the lowest such finding since 1994, the last time control of the House switched parties.

<snip>

In a small boost for Bush, his approval rating inched up to 40 percent, two percentage points higher than in June and seven higher than in May, suggesting he may have arrested a slide that deeply unnerved Republican lawmakers and strategists. But Bush's standing remains weak for a president in a midterm election year and problematic three months before Election Day.

[KingFlorez]

1. Please let it hold!

Only a few months left to go, I'm hoping this holds on until the election.

[Atman]

2. Fire them all...and they remain wealthy, and benefit for years to come

from the criminal policies they drafted and/or rubber stamped. Aw. Poor babies.

Voting them out of office is too good for them. They should all be forced to do community service in the worst neighborhoods in their states.

[theanarch]

3. i think the key finding here...

...is the percentage who believe their own Representative is a POS to be flushed; while GOP's should worry about this more (as they are the majority party), this also cuts against Democrats as well, especially the pro-war, pro-corporate, DLC types, who are the majority of Democratic congresspersons.

[wabeewoman]

4. HOW can 40%

still approve of bush?? Are they totally out of touch??? That just blows me away that we have 40% of the population who approve of this idiot?? What is wrong with these people????

[truthisfreedom]

5. they're scared. rove's fear tactics work, you know. they're actually

waiting now to use them again as fall approaches... watch them break out the "cut and run" Democrats crap and the "soft on terror" and "we kept you safe for 5 years" bullshit.