Americans Want Less Spending, More Independents in Congress in 2014
Three-quarters of Americans disapprove of the job Congress is doing and 57 percent say the country is headed in the wrong direction. With so much dissatisfaction, the new Reason-Rupe poll finds 38 percent of Americans would like to see more independent and third-party candidates win congressional seats in the 2014 midterms, 31 percent prefer more Democrats and 23 percent of Americans would like more Republicans elected next year.
No matter who is elected to Congress, Reason-Rupe finds 54 percent of Americans want the federal government to spend less money next year, 23 percent favor spending the same amount as this year and 16 percent would like to increase federal spending next year.
Half, 50 percent, of Americans approve of the job President Barack Obama is doing, while 43 percent disapprove. The president loses support on his handling of the economy, where 45 percent approve and 47 percent disapprove.
Nationwide telephone poll conducted May 9-13 2013 interviewed 1003 adults on both mobile (503) and landline (500) phones, with a margin of error +/- 3.7%. Princeton Survey Research Associates International executed the nationwide Reason-Rupe survey. Columns may not add up to 100% due to rounding. Full poll results found here. Full methodology can be found here. Demographics and detailed tables are available here.
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one question i have would be how many hoping for more independent representation see the tea party as something seperate from the gop?
The only registered independent I'm aware of, VT's Bernie Sanders, is a socialist, so I doubt they are thinking tea party when they think "independent."
I would hope there'd be some actual libertarians in any group of independent pols, but I fear you'd just get a bunch of leftists and Greens who think the dems are too shy when it comes to pushing for radical income distribution and the immediate abandonment of all fossil fuel use.
The problem with wanting "less spending" is no one wants it to affect THEM. One of the smart (in a nefarious way) things the ruling system has done is to make sure that nearly EVERYONE has a personal stake in the runaway spending. So, whether you are a Fortune 500 exec, a welfare queen, or just a working class schmoe who happens to work in an industry connected to defense, you will be personally hurt if Washington ever even starts to think of trying to live within its means. Both the dems and the GOP have been very clever in ensuring no one who is serious about cutting spending will ever get to stay in office long enough to make a serious impact.
But Ron Paul was in office for 11 terms or something. And I wouldn't miss it if every federal spending program ended tomorrow.
Just not less spending or more independents in their Congressional district, mind you.