Fulanito de Tal
30th September 2010, 19:10
I thought this article was interesting: http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/mood_of_america/fairness_of_elections
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Fifty-five percent (55%) of Likely U.S. Voters say most members of Congress get reelected not because they go do a good job representing the folks at home but because election rules are rigged to their benefit. That’s a five-point increase from April of last year.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 15% of voters think most of those in Congress get reelected because they do a good job representing their constituents, down eight points from the previous survey. A sizable 30% aren’t sure which is right.
It’s worth noting that the word “rigged” is a strong term included in this survey question. The fact that more than half the nation’s voters believe the election rules are "rigged" is a testament to the continuing high levels of distrust in the country today.
Only one-in-five voters (21%) think the federal government today has the consent of the governed, a central requirement of the Declaration of Independence but a finding that has barely budged since February. Sixty-two percent (62%) say the government does not have that consent, and 17% are not sure.
Not surprisingly, the nation’s Political Class sees it differently. Sixty-six percent (66%) of Political Class voters say the federal government today has the consent of the governed. Seventy-eight percent (78%) of those in the Mainstream don’t share that perception.
Additionally, while 66% of Mainstream voters say most in Congress get reelected because the rules are rigged, 50% of those in the Political Class say it’s because they do a good job representing their constituents.
Overall, only 11% of all voters believe the average congressman listens most to the voters they represent rather than their party leaders in Congress. Eighty-two percent (82%) say the party leaders come first.
But then 60% say most members of Congress don’t care what their constituents think anyway.
These findings help explain why voters are “MAD AS HELL” the title of a new book by Scott Rasmussen and Doug Schoen. The book explores How the Tea Party Movement is Fundamentally Remaking Our Two-Party System and can be ordered at http://www.amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, http://www.borders.com/online/store/TitleDetail? and http://www.booksamillion.com/prod as well as http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780061995231http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780061995231. It’s also available in bookstores everywhere.
One Nation Under Revolt was the first of three excerpts published from the book. Part II describes The evolution of the Tea Party movement, while the final excerpt outlines The last hope for Democrats and Republicans to regain trust.
The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on September 16-17, 2010 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
Just under half (49%) now think U.S. elections are fair to voters, but 29% don’t believe that to be true and another 21% are undecided. Belief that elections are fair has ranged from 42% to 54% in Rasmussen Reports surveying over the past two decades.
A lot of voters (42%) still think a group selected randomly from the phone book would do a better job than Congress, but just as many (41%) disagree. Eighteen percent (18%) aren’t sure.
These findings show little change from just over a year ago.
While 54% of Mainstream voters think a random group from the phone book would do a better job that Congress, 91% of the Political Class disagree.
With midterm congressional elections less than two months away, only 10% of voters think Congress is doing a good or excellent job. That matches the low for this session of Congress.
Only 27% of voters now think their representative in Congress is the best possible person for the job, down six points from November of last year. Only 37% think their local congressional representative deserves reelection, compared to 42% who felt that way last fall.
Sixty-two percent (65%) believe it would be better for the country if the majority of Congress is thrown out this November.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Fifty-five percent (55%) of Likely U.S. Voters say most members of Congress get reelected not because they go do a good job representing the folks at home but because election rules are rigged to their benefit. That’s a five-point increase from April of last year.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 15% of voters think most of those in Congress get reelected because they do a good job representing their constituents, down eight points from the previous survey. A sizable 30% aren’t sure which is right.
It’s worth noting that the word “rigged” is a strong term included in this survey question. The fact that more than half the nation’s voters believe the election rules are "rigged" is a testament to the continuing high levels of distrust in the country today.
Only one-in-five voters (21%) think the federal government today has the consent of the governed, a central requirement of the Declaration of Independence but a finding that has barely budged since February. Sixty-two percent (62%) say the government does not have that consent, and 17% are not sure.
Not surprisingly, the nation’s Political Class sees it differently. Sixty-six percent (66%) of Political Class voters say the federal government today has the consent of the governed. Seventy-eight percent (78%) of those in the Mainstream don’t share that perception.
Additionally, while 66% of Mainstream voters say most in Congress get reelected because the rules are rigged, 50% of those in the Political Class say it’s because they do a good job representing their constituents.
Overall, only 11% of all voters believe the average congressman listens most to the voters they represent rather than their party leaders in Congress. Eighty-two percent (82%) say the party leaders come first.
But then 60% say most members of Congress don’t care what their constituents think anyway.
These findings help explain why voters are “MAD AS HELL” the title of a new book by Scott Rasmussen and Doug Schoen. The book explores How the Tea Party Movement is Fundamentally Remaking Our Two-Party System and can be ordered at http://www.amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, http://www.borders.com/online/store/TitleDetail? and http://www.booksamillion.com/prod as well as http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780061995231http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780061995231. It’s also available in bookstores everywhere.
One Nation Under Revolt was the first of three excerpts published from the book. Part II describes The evolution of the Tea Party movement, while the final excerpt outlines The last hope for Democrats and Republicans to regain trust.
The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on September 16-17, 2010 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
Just under half (49%) now think U.S. elections are fair to voters, but 29% don’t believe that to be true and another 21% are undecided. Belief that elections are fair has ranged from 42% to 54% in Rasmussen Reports surveying over the past two decades.
A lot of voters (42%) still think a group selected randomly from the phone book would do a better job than Congress, but just as many (41%) disagree. Eighteen percent (18%) aren’t sure.
These findings show little change from just over a year ago.
While 54% of Mainstream voters think a random group from the phone book would do a better job that Congress, 91% of the Political Class disagree.
With midterm congressional elections less than two months away, only 10% of voters think Congress is doing a good or excellent job. That matches the low for this session of Congress.
Only 27% of voters now think their representative in Congress is the best possible person for the job, down six points from November of last year. Only 37% think their local congressional representative deserves reelection, compared to 42% who felt that way last fall.
Sixty-two percent (65%) believe it would be better for the country if the majority of Congress is thrown out this November.