Poll: The Public Hates Congress. But Media Is Less Willing To Note Crucial Fact: Hate 'Em Or Not, They Prefer Republicans To Hold Power.

The media has been flogging the meme that the House Republicans are more unpopular than Obama for some time.

That's apples to oranges, as in that case you're comparing one guy to many, most of whom you didn't vote for and maybe wouldn't vote for, if you could.

But it's more deceptive than that:

The public hates Congress — and, in theory, that ought to be a good thing for minority House Democrats in 2012. In theory.

Most folks, according to a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll, would purge all lawmakers from office — even the local representative. By a 58 percent to 31 percent margin, registered voters believe Democrats will do a better job of “standing up for the middle class,” according to a POLITICO/George Washington University Battleground poll. And in a third survey released Tuesday, conducted by the Washington Post and ABC News, only 28 percent of respondents approve of the way congressional Republicans are doing their jobs.

But buried in the Journal/NBC poll is a contradictory nugget: Registered voters, by a 47 percent to 41 percent spread, would rather have Republicans in charge of Congress. That’s the highest level of preference for Republican control since the question was first posed 15 years ago. At a time when the White House is fond of the mantra that an election is “a choice, not a referendum,” it appears that voters aren’t ready to choose Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi over Speaker John Boehner.

This suggests (but doesn't prove) that harder-core conservatives are right in their diagnosis here: A big chunk of the public is dissatisfied with Republicans, but for being too moderate, and not conservative enough. Or not getting the results they want.

Dangerous Precedent? WalrusRex is worried:

We can't base our political/economic theories on evidence. If truth were to gain a foothold in politics, where would it end?

posted by Ace at 12:08 PM

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