congress

The average rating for congress during 2011 was 17% favorable and the news media brings this up on a regular basis.
According to Gallup, the average congressional approval rating so far this year is 17 percent. If this number holds, 2011 will prove to be the year with the lowest annual congressional job approval rating since Gallup started polling on the issue in 1974.
What is not reported is:
faring worse than the 19 percent annual lows recorded in 2010 and 2008, as well as the 19 percent in 1979 and 18 percent in 1992, when Gallup only measured congressional approval ratings once annually.
I suspect it has something to do with the fact that in 2008 and 2010 the congress was controlled by Democrats and in 2011 it was controlled by Republicans but in any case is the difference really that great. The point is that the voters are dissatisfied with the way the government is operating and they want a change.