"NPR's All Things Considered featured a story on Friday regarding growing discontent in the US over Congress and lawmakers' sentiments on political problems in America. In October, a CBS News/New York Times poll showed that Congress' approval rating had sunk to 9 percent, an all-time low. It appears that the vast majority of Americans do not approve of Congress as we hobble towards the 2012 elections.
In response to the poll, Sen. Michael Bennet, a Democrat from Colorado, while on the floor of the nearly empty Senate quipped that, "More people support the United States becoming communist -- I don't, for the record -- at 11 percent, than approve of the job that we're doing." Bennet continued, "I guess we can take some comfort that Fidel Castro is at 5 percent."
While political gridlock and economic troubles may play into Congress' poor approval rating, there may be deeper issues at stake. Commenting on the failure of the congressional bipartisan supercommittee to make a deal on federal savings, Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass, told reporters that the question to be asked is, "What is the problem?" And in response, Kerry concluded that "the problem is a huge ideological divide in our nation."
Nevertheless, a stark ideological divide in the US is old news. From the NPR story: "[Michigan Rep. Candice Miller] noted that voters did elect a divided government last year." Miller: "We are really a reflection of the country...because you have half the country that probably wants more government, more government spending, etc., more government regulation. You have the other half of the country that is saying, 'no'."
Even so, again, political division based on ideology in the US is old news. This country has worked through political division in the past. In this time period, the crux then becomes actually working towards a sense of viable compromise going forward by way of mutual cooperation. But in this light, increasing polarization in American society is causing the American political process to appear counterproductive. Political factions do not seem to even want to come to the table to discuss options -- let alone work together to find common solutions..."
at http://www.benzinga.com/media/cnbc/11/11/2152795/houses-of-pain-more-americans-support-communism-than-approve-of-congress?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+benzinga+%28Benzinga+News+Feed%29#ixzz1ew6PMoHh
In response to the poll, Sen. Michael Bennet, a Democrat from Colorado, while on the floor of the nearly empty Senate quipped that, "More people support the United States becoming communist -- I don't, for the record -- at 11 percent, than approve of the job that we're doing." Bennet continued, "I guess we can take some comfort that Fidel Castro is at 5 percent."
While political gridlock and economic troubles may play into Congress' poor approval rating, there may be deeper issues at stake. Commenting on the failure of the congressional bipartisan supercommittee to make a deal on federal savings, Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass, told reporters that the question to be asked is, "What is the problem?" And in response, Kerry concluded that "the problem is a huge ideological divide in our nation."
Nevertheless, a stark ideological divide in the US is old news. From the NPR story: "[Michigan Rep. Candice Miller] noted that voters did elect a divided government last year." Miller: "We are really a reflection of the country...because you have half the country that probably wants more government, more government spending, etc., more government regulation. You have the other half of the country that is saying, 'no'."
Even so, again, political division based on ideology in the US is old news. This country has worked through political division in the past. In this time period, the crux then becomes actually working towards a sense of viable compromise going forward by way of mutual cooperation. But in this light, increasing polarization in American society is causing the American political process to appear counterproductive. Political factions do not seem to even want to come to the table to discuss options -- let alone work together to find common solutions..."
at http://www.benzinga.com/media/cnbc/11/11/2152795/houses-of-pain-more-americans-support-communism-than-approve-of-congress?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+benzinga+%28Benzinga+News+Feed%29#ixzz1ew6PMoHh
