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Latest Poll Reveals Dismal Approval Ratings for Congress and California’s U.S. Senators

Latest Poll Reveals Dismal Approval Ratings for Congress and California’s U.S. Senators
In last week’s Dateline Sacramento edition we summarized a Field Poll showing the drop in approval ratings for Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and the California Legislature. Now, a Field Poll has been released showing that less than a quarter of Californians approve of the way the U.S. Congress is performing. Disapproval ratings are at a 20-year high, and only 23 percent say they approve of the way Congress is conducting itself. It's the highest disapproval rating since 1996.
The poll released Saturday also found that Californians increasingly disapprove of the job Democrat House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) is doing. About one in three – or 34 percent – gave her good marks, while 44 percent said they disapprove of her performance. Pelosi’s approval rating has dropped 14 points since March of this year, when 48 percent approved and 35 percent disapproved.
The poll also found that less than half of Californians approve of the state’s Democrat senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer. Feinstein received a job approval rating of 46 percent, while 35 percent disapproved. And 44 percent approved of Boxer's performance, while 37 percent disapproved. Feinstein’s job approval rating is her lowest since 1996, and Boxer's disapproval rating is its highest since 1995. Boxer faces a growing battle for re-election in 2010.
The poll also reveals that California’s Democrat senators are polarizing, creating increasing disparity between the viewpoints of Democrats, Republicans, and “independents.” Field Poll director Mark DiCamillo said “It's a more partisan environment now than it was earlier in the year because they're dealing with policy."
The poll shows that Boxer is more polarizing than Feinstein. Boxer has an approval rating of 66 percent among Democrats, while only 12 percent of Republicans approve of her performance. Feinstein received positive marks from 60 percent of Democrats, while 23 percent of Republicans approved of her performance.
While 51% of California’s Democrat voters are happy with Nancy Pelosi’s performance, only 7% of Republicans approve of her work, and specific to her role as Speaker of the House, Pelosi garners a disapproval rating of 79% from Republicans and 23% from Democrats.
These latest poll numbers are another stinging indictment of the people we have elected to serve us. Voters share some responsibility in this circumstance, as we have neglected our role in identifying and electing virtuous leaders, and holding them accountable once elected.
Networks and coalitions across California are becoming active in the identification of candidates who share their values, and those same coalitions are submitting to education on how the electorate is to practice encouragement and exhortation with those elected. Stay tuned for more information as plans are underway.
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