President Barack Obama continues to ride high approval ratings and an equal number of respondents approve of how congressional Democrats are handling their job as disapprove, according to a new poll.
The Quinnipiac University Poll, released Wednesday, found that nearly six in ten of 2,573 voters approve of Obama's job performance while a quarter disapprove. The poll also found that nearly two thirds think Obama is performing about as well as they expected him to while nearly two in ten say he is doing better than expected and nearly one in ten say he is doing worse.
Obama's performance is having a very positive effect on how the public views congressional Democrats. Forty-five percent approve of how congressional Democrats are handling their job, the same number that disapprove. On the flip side, nearly six in ten disapprove of congressional Republicans, while three in ten approve.
Peter Brown, an assistant director at Quinnipiac, told The Hill that congressional Democrats are benefiting from Obama's popularity in a big way. "Voters are willing to give the Obama administration an opportunity to implement its agenda," he said. "In a big picture sense, congerssional Democrats are part of the Obama team, so it's not surprising that their numbers are where they are."
Democrats have seen their popularity rise dramatically since Obama took office. A Gallup Poll released on Monday showed that both Republicans and Democrats have seen their approval ratings rise, with Democrats topping out at 47 percent. Congressional Republicans' approval rating jumped to 36 percent in that poll.
Respondents also prefer Obama, and perhaps by extension congressional Democrats, to handle the economy. When asked if they trust Obama or congressional Republicans on the economy, 56 percent said Obama, 25 percent said Republicans and 18 percent were unsure.
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As the Republican Party, weakened by two disastrous election cycles, looks to the future for its next batch of leaders, much of the attention has been directed toward Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal.
And in another sign that the party is turning to Jindal, House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) announced Wednesday that Jindal will deliver the party
The National Republican Congressional Committee launched attacks on Monday aimed at several House Democrats for their vote last week in favor of the stimulus bill.
The NRCC sent out releases claiming that several Democrats did not represent the interests of their districts by voting for the stimulus bill. The $819 billion stimulus bill passed by a vote of 244-188. No Republicans supported the measure.
Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) said today he regrets attacking President-elect Barack Obama during the presidential campaign.
Lieberman escaped a closed-door Senate Democratic caucus vote today with his caucus membership and Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee chairmanship intact. Democrats agreed on a resolution that condemned Lieberman for attacking Obama during the campaign but did not eject him from the caucus or strip his committee chairmanship, as some had called for. Nor did the resolution condemn Lieberman's backing of Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) in the presidential contest.
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Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas), the top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee, is calling on Congress and the Justice Department to investigate the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) for its voter registration activities and accused the group of voter fraud.
Smith referenced a news report today that ACORN had turned in a voter registration card for "Mickey Mouse" in Florida. The group says it is required to turn in all cards it receives--even those it has identified as potentially faulty, but the Mickey Mouse registration adds another celebrity-impostor registrant to a list that already includes members of the Dallas Cowboys.
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For Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), a 1973 graduate of the University of Mississippi, the real winner of Friday night's presidential debate was his alma mater.
But the first of three debates between Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and GOP nominee John McCain (R-Ariz.) almost didn't happen because of McCain's indecision over whether to attend, and Wicker on Saturday revealed he played a role in persuading McCain to appear.
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Two independent polls Monday showed incumbent Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R) trailing Democratic challenger Kay Hagan in the North Carolina Senate race, boosting Democrats
Barack Obama "is no Jesus Christ," Rep. Mike Conaway (R-Texas) said in a speech on the House floor yesterday, voicing personal offense at Rep. Steve Cohen's (D-Tenn.) comparison of Obama to Jesus.
"In my time in politics, I never thought that I would hear any candidate for political office compared to Jesus Christ. Yet yesterday, on the floor of this House, one of my colleagues did just that when he painted the work of Barack Obama equal to the life of my savior," Conaway said.
"Madam Speaker, I know Jesus Christ; Jesus Christ is a personal friend of mine. Senator Obama is no Jesus Christ."
Cohen defended Obama Wednesday from GOP attacks over his experience as a community organizer, noting that Jesus too took on that role. Cohen says he regretted making the comment and denies that he was comparing Obama to Jesus.
Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) had a heated exchange with a liberal blogger from the site firedoglake during the Democratic Convention Wednesday.
Asked if Senate Democrats would kick Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) out of the caucus if he became John McCain's running mate, Durbin said, "that's sensitive, but what I can tell you is that he has voted with us all but for issues on Iraq, which are pretty important, and recently the McCain positions. I'm dissapointed, but by and large he votes with us."
The blogger then asked, "what are the great pieces of legislation the Senate has been able to pass with Joe Lieberman's assistance since this session has begun?"
"All I can tell you are key votes," Durbin said, "and there are many of them."
"Can you mention any?" the blogger asked.
Durbin, clearly annoyed, shook his head and started to walk off. Then, turning back to the blogger, Durbin said, "and where were you yesterday? No, no at 3:00, 3:02?"
"3:02 yesterday?" the blogger asked.
"Yeah, where were you?" an angered Durbin responded. "What shoes were you wearing? How about your socks?"
The blogger then sarcastically told the Illinois senator, "I appreciate your openness to discuss things with the media."
"Well I appreciate your willingness to try and put me on the spot about 10,000 votes," Durbin shot back. "Thank you very much, that's very objective."
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