Congress Making Things Worse?

The Senate is scheduled to vote today on an $838-billion economic stimulus plan, but 58% of U.S. voters say most members of Congress will not understand what is in the plan before they vote on it.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that just 24% believe most of Congress will understand the contents of the 700-page-plus plan before they vote. Nineteen percent (19%) are not sure.

Two-thirds of the nation’s voters (69%) lack confidence that Congress knows what it is doing when it comes to addressing the country’s current economic problems. Just 29% are even somewhat confident in the legislators.

Fifty-two percent (52%) of Democrats have at least some confidence, a view shared by just 16% of unaffiliated voters and 12% of Republicans.

Voters strongly agree with the perspective that “No matter how bad things are, Congress can always find a way to make them worse.” Fifty-eight percent (58%) share that view, and only 26% disagree.

Sixty-eight (68%) of Republicans and 63% of unaffiliated voters agree with that negative assessment of Congress. Democrats are more evenly divided: 46% agree, and 37% do not.- Rasmussen Reports