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AP Poll: Approval of Congress Falls to
35%
Infinity Broadcasting Corp./AP
By WILL LESTER
Associated Press Writer
October 30, 2005
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Only one-third of Americans give Congress good
ratings for its ethics and honesty, according to an AP-Ipsos poll that found
more evidence of the public's longstanding disdain for the legislative branch
of government.
Investigations of two top congressional leaders have drawn more attention to
Congress' low standings, though analysts say other factors such as the Iraq war
and gas prices are likely contributors to the dip this year in Congress'
ratings.
Almost half in the poll, 45 percent, give Congress poor marks for its
honesty and ethics, and 21 percent said congressional ethics were neither good
nor poor.
Congressional ethics have been in the spotlight recently with the probe of
stock sales by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist and the indictment of Texas
Rep. Tom DeLay, former House majority leader, on charges of violating campaign
finance laws. DeLay recently notified House officials that he has failed to
disclose all contributions to his legal defense fund.
"Public opinion about Congress is at low ebb," said John Hibbing, a
University of Nebraska professor and a co-author of "Congress as Public Enemy."
But Hibbing said he doubts that recent news about Frist and DeLay are big
factors.
"Congress always lags behind the other two institutions of government and
most other institutions," he said. "People don't really like to hear about
conflict about important decisions."
Just over a third in the poll, 35 percent, approve of the way Congress is
handling its job - down from 44 percent in February, according to the poll of
1,000 adults taken Oct. 3-5. The poll has a margin of sampling error of plus or
minus 3 percentage points.
Recent polling has shown public regard for Republican leaders in Congress
has dipped during the past year, but Democrats are down as well. "We have the
best Congress money can buy," said Greg Goldstein, a salesman from New York
City who is a political independent. "The entire political-economic system is
very money-driven."
Republican pollster Ed Goeas said recently that it's lucky for the GOP that
voters won't be focused on elections for another 10 months. Republicans are
more likely than Democrats to take a positive view of the honesty and ethics of
Congress.
"I hear so many people talking about how dishonest they are, but I have a
hard time believing they're as bad as people say," said Krista Gneiting, a
Republican from Caldwell, Idaho. "I have not heard much specifically about Bill
Frist and Tom DeLay."
© 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not
be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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