Inspiring news: record low approval of congress for midterms

Public approval of Congress now sits at 18 percent, lower than it has been in any prior midterm election year since Gallup started polling public approval of Congress in 1974, according to a USA Today/Gallup Poll conducted Sept. 13-16.

In March, approval of Congress actually sank to 16 percent, the second-lowest approval rating Congress has ever received in the Gallup poll. After that, it climbed to 23 percent in April and then started declining again, hitting 21 percent in May, 20 percent in June, 20 percent in July, and 19 percent in August.

“Congress’ current approval rating is now approaching Gallup's record low of 14%, measured in July 2008, and is already worse than the lowest congressional approval score in a midterm election year, 21% in 1994 and 2006,” Gallup said in its poll analysis published Monday.

“This year's low approval ratings for Congress are a potentially ominous sign for President Obama and the Democratic majority in Congress,” the polling company said in a June analysis of its congressional approval survey. “Gallup has found greater party seat change in Congress in midterm elections when Congress has had low approval ratings.”

In fact, in the two mid-term elections since 1974 that have seen the incumbent president’s party lose the majority in the House of Representatives, Congress's approval rating in the Gallup poll was significantly higher going into the election than it is now.