Poll: 23% of Americans View Boehner Favorably; 22% View McConnell Favorably

[rangerrebew]

Poll: 23% of Americans View Boehner Favorably; 22% View McConnell Favorably
 
 

(CNSNews.com) – A new Gallup poll [1] on Congress and its leaders shows that only 23% of Americans view House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) favorably, and only 22% view his Senate counterpart, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) favorably.

Gallup further reports that Boehner’s ranking is similar to that of then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) in October 2010, when only 26% of Americans viewed her favorably. Also, for then-Senate Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) in October 2014, he was viewed favorably by only 21% of Americans.

When looking specifically at Republicans, Gallup found that only 37% had a favorable view of Boehner, and only 34% had a favorable view of McConnell.

Boehner has been the Speaker of the House of Representatives since January 2011. McConnell became the Senate Majority Leader in January of this year.
 

Beyond the favorable numbers, Gallup found that 54% of Americans view Boehner unfavorably; for McConnell, the unfavorable view was held by 41% of Americans.

For Republicans, 42% had an unfavorable view of Boehner and 32% had an unfavorably view of McConnell.

For Congress overall, Republicans and Democrats, only 14% of Americans approved of the job it is doing, which is down from 17% approval in July.

 
“Even with the August break at hand, Congress is hardly in a position to be satisfied with its accomplishments this year,” said Gallup.  “The legislative branch remains about as unpopular as it was for much of the late Bush presidency [2] and has been throughout Obama's tenure [3], despite several changes in party control and, correspondingly, in leadership.”

“Indeed, the main congressional leaders -- House Speaker Boehner and Senator Majority Leader McConnell -- are not only unpopular figures with the public at large, they are also not particularly well-received even among Republicans,” said Gallup. 

For the survey [1], Gallup conducted telephone interviews Aug. 5-9 with a random sample of 1,011 adults living in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

 
 
Source URL: http://cnsnews.com/news/article/michael-w-chapman/poll-23-americans-view-boehner-favorably-22-view-mcconnell-favorably

[massadvj]

One fifth?  King Charles did better than that.

[rb224315]

I don't think this says very much.  General polls of Congresscritters are never good.  I'm more interested in a poll of Republicans' opinions of Republican leadership.

I wouldn't be surprised if the breakdown of this particular poll showed Republicans pulling the Boehner/McConnell average down and Democrats' opinions pulling it up.  Their actions as party leaders sure seem to always help 0bama and the Dems.

[Relic]

In other news, 80% of Americans don't know who John Boehner or Mitch McConnell are.

[alicewonders]

I don't think this says very much.  General polls of Congresscritters are never good.  I'm more interested in a poll of Republicans' opinions of Republican leadership.

I wouldn't be surprised if the breakdown of this particular poll showed Republicans pulling the Boehner/McConnell average down and Democrats' opinions pulling it up.  Their actions as party leaders sure seem to always help 0bama and the Dems.

According to the article:

For Republicans, 42% had an unfavorable view of Boehner and 32% had an unfavorably view of McConnell.

[Formerly Once-Ler]

That is a new low for Boehner but not that much lower than Oct 2010 when he was reelected to Congress and as the Speaker.



Newt Gingrich had similar rating as Speaker but it took an affair to knock him out of the Speaker's seat.  He won reelection every time he ran.



McConnell tied his worst rating in Oct 2013, and again he won reelection in 2014.  He is not up for reelection until 2020.



McConnell's rating is marginally worse than Presidential candidate Senator Ted Cruz's rating.  Senator Cruz is up for reelection to the Senate in 2018 if he fails to capture the approval of over 50% of the voters for the Presidency.



Looks like McConnell will have to work a little harder to get under Majority Leader Reid's 21% favorables.
 


Just trying to keep things in perspective.  The Boehner poll means nothing because Boehner serves with the consent of his House district constituents, and the McConnell poll means less than nothing because he is not up for reelection for over 5 years.

[Formerly Once-Ler]

I don't think this says very much.  General polls of Congresscritters are never good.  I'm more interested in a poll of Republicans' opinions of Republican leadership.

I wouldn't be surprised if the breakdown of this particular poll showed Republicans pulling the Boehner/McConnell average down and Democrats' opinions pulling it up.  Their actions as party leaders sure seem to always help 0bama and the Dems.

Could be.



http://www.nrsc.org/news/both-parties-are-proud-of-the-new-majority-era-2015-07-31/



While both sides of the aisle may disagree ideologically, they can both agree that the Senate has been very successful this year. In just the first six months, 29 bills have been signed into law, more than 65 bills passed the Senate, and over 160 bills reported from Senate committees. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s Senate is making a positive mark in legislative history that brings pride to Senate Republicans as well as Minority Democrats.

Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) said while addressing the Senate last week:

    “We all have to give and take, but that is what the people expect of us. Whether they are Democrats, Republicans, or Independents, it does not matter - they want us to get something done. I am proud of the Senate.”

For the Trade Promotion Authority (TPA), 14 Democrats were in favor of the bill passing 62-37. Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) specifically wanted to thank the collaboration between Republicans and Democrats during the amendment discussions:

    “First, under Chairman Hatch’s leadership, both sides have been working together in good faith with respect to the amendments, and I think it would be fair to say the chairman and I are optimistic that we can have a good and fair list of amendments.”

The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), a crucial piece of legislation in regards to funding intelligence and the military, passed easily 71-25. Without this Act, safety and support for our veterans and those currently serving were at risk along with the safety of the United States. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) commended Senator McCain on his work:

    “There are many needed reforms in the NDAA, and I applaud Chairman McCain for his leadership and fidelity to our men and women in uniform. I know he wants a bill that is worthy of their sacrifice and commend his efforts to try and build consensus.”

The Every Child Achieves Act had a very strong majority of Democrats in favor, passing the Senate 81-17. The long overdue overhaul of education legislation produced a new education system that gives the states more control over what their specific residents need. Many Republican sponsored amendments, such as Senator Pat Toomey’s (R-PA) to prevent child predators in schools, passed uncontested. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) was very proud of the work done by the Republican controlled Senate:

    “Our bipartisan bill gives States more flexibility while also including Federal guardrails to make sure all students have access to quality public education. I am very proud of the bipartisanship work we have done on the Senate floor - debating amendments, taking votes, and making this good bill even better.”

No matter how hard Obama may push for his political agenda, the new Senate will ensure that the checks and balance system in place by the Constitution is upheld to the highest standards. The Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act passed 98-1 with 43 out of 44 Democrats voting in favor. Obama's Iran deal is a potentially reckless agreement that needs to be reviewed thoroughly to ensure that Iran does not become a nuclear power in years to come. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) said in a press release:

    “Such bipartisanship has eluded the Senate of late, but I give great credit to Chairman Corker who kept us focused on the ultimate goal…The stakes are too high to allow partisan rancor to overtake national consensus that endorses Congressional review of any final deal.”

The 114th Congress has made great achievements under Republican leadership. Both parties have declared their pride for the legislation accomplished thus far and look forward to more effective collaboration in the months to come. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will continue to ensure progress through the Republican Party’s majority.

[jmyrlefuller]

I'm surprised the numbers are that high.

[bkepley]

One fifth?  King Charles did better than that.

Probably about the same percentage could actually identify who they are so it's probably good news.