Spinning Furiously

The New York Times does its level best to spin poll results in favor of Democrats and against Republicans yet again. This is absolutely nothing new. But, frankly, the results of this poll should be a matter of concern for Democrats as much as for the Republicans.

With the midterm elections less than seven weeks away, Americans have an overwhelmingly negative view of the Republican-controlled Congress, with substantial majorities saying that they disapprove of the job it is doing and that its members do not deserve reelection, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.

The disregard for Congress is the most intense it has been since 1994, when Republicans captured 52 seats to end four decades of Democratic control of the House and retook the Senate as well. It underlines the challenge the Republican Party faces in trying to hold onto power in the face of a surge in anti-incumbent sentiment.

By overwhelming margins, respondents said that members of Congress were too tied to special interests and that they did not understand the needs and problems of average Americans. Two-thirds said Congress had accomplished less than it typically does in a two-year session; most said they said they could not name a single major piece of legislation that cleared this Congress. Just 25 percent said they approved of the way Congress was doing its job.

If you slog all the way through the article, they really show that both parties are held in about equally low esteem at the moment. Democrats are generally seen as weak on terror - that should be worrisome to them right now. I haven't looked to see how badly this poll sample was skewed, they have historically been skewed Democratic. If that is the case here, this is not good news for the Dems. As always, while nationally the Congress is seen in a dim light, locally more people think their own representatives are doing a fairly good job.