Congress.

Speaking of the 2006 Elections, lets take a look at Congress:

The Washington Post has a story reporting that "polls indicate that voters increasingly view the legislative branch as dysfunctional" have caused Congress, especially the Republican Leadership, to step up its agenda. Fears that being labeled a 'do-nothing' Congress could be disastrous for the GOP has decided to pursue "health-care legislation to the most sweeping immigration changes in a generation." They'll have just 72 days to do it. And not even all the Republicans agree on how those things should be done.

The Pew Research Center reports that disillusionment with Congress is at record levels. "Anti-Incumbent Sentiment Echoes 1994," they say. I'm sure they're right. And to those of us stuck in the minority, that's music to our ears. Unfortunately, it shouldn't be.

Survey USA has its latest Approval Ratings for Senators up. Of the 100 Senators, only 3 have negative net approval ratings. All three are Republicans, but only two, Conrad Burns and Rick Santorum are up for reelection during this cycle.

That means that the remaining 97 Senators have positive approval ratings.

Congress (illustrated by the Senate) is a strange beast. Both incumbents and challengers can run against it. "Send me (back) to Congress so that I can change the direction that Congress is headed" works just as well with or without the word "back" in the sentence.

Add to that the fact that most people like their own Senators and Representatives. All those other idiots are causing the problems. Not good old Senator Joe Local. He's a good guy. He got money for the new bridge on Mainstreet. And Representative Jane Neighborhood wrote a recommendation for my neighbor's son to go to West Point.

All these negative feelings about Congress won't hurt Democrats, but it isn't a wave to ride back into power. All politics are local. It doesn't matter how much people in Pennsylvania dislike the direction of Congress. Voters in Kansas are still going to vote in people they like.

Congress 2006 Elections Approval Rating Senate House of Representatives
Completely off topic, but I really don't know what to make of this. She smuggled what!?! Where?!?