Congress' "Approval" Rating in the Toilet

where it belongs:

'Congressional Favorability at a 24-Year Low' [NRO Staff]

From a new Pew Research Poll:

Americans are extremely displeased with Congress, and there are already some signs that this could take a toll on the Democrats in the 2010 midterm elections. Currently, 37% express a favorable opinion of Congress, while 52% hold an unfavorable view. Positive opinions of Congress have declined by 13 points since April and are now at one of their lowest points in more than two decades of Pew Research Center surveys.

At the same time, intentions to vote Democratic in the next midterm election are markedly lower than they have been over the past four years. Voters are about evenly divided when asked how they would vote if the election for Congress were being held today: 45% say they would vote for a Democratic candidate in their district, or lean Democratic, while 44% say they would vote for a Republican or lean Republican. At about this point four years ago, Democrats led in the generic congressional ballot by 52% to 40% and went on to win a majority of the popular vote and regain control of Congress the following November.


Krauthammer on how Obama's declining numbers impact local / state races:

On whether the New Jersey and Virginia governors' races point to a national GOP comeback:
Well, when you're way ahead and you think you are going to win, then you make it [off year elections] extremely important and national and predictive—which was always nonsense.

I think what is really interesting is how un-nationalized these races have become. And, as we heard, all of these issues are local—charges of corruption in New Jersey, actually, two-way charges, and [Bob McDonnell’s] thesis in Virginia. You can't get more local and personal than an attack on that basis.

At the beginning of the year when Obama was riding high, he had the wind at his back, of course he was incredibly popular, it looked as if they would be, again, national races in which Democrats had the advantage, again, running against Bush.

Here we are six months later. Obama has declined. The sheen is off. The magic is gone. And his numbers are at about 50 percent. What has happened is that Obama's decline has made these into local races again. The great trends, the Democratic sweep of last year is now over. It has been neutralized.