Well, Congress still beats out intestinal blockages in popularity. The latest Gallup monthly survey shows that Congress is now only viewed favorable by 13 percent of American. Other polls show it as 9 percent. This makes it less popular (as shown in the chart in the article below) than Hugo Chavez and communism taking over the United States. Hell, even Paris Hilton is more popular than Congress.

What I find incredible is that we still do not have a third party when virtually everyone agrees that our political system is a disaster. Yet, we continue to replicate the same failed leadership in both parties. I remain utterly shocked that the Democrats retained Nancy Pelosi as their leader after she contributed to one of the greatest losses of her party in history. She remains a polarizing figure for many.

I was particularly annoyed to see her recently on John Stewart’s show joking about how unpopular Congress is and saying that it was less unpopular under Democrats (though she cites a 40 percent approval rate which was the high point during her tenure and later contested by reporters). There is no indication that she views her own actions as in anyway contributing to this disaster despite criticism of leadership from continuing corrupt practices like congressional junkets to failing to implement reforms of Congress. What is striking is that neither Republicans nor Democrats appear to have the ability of self-criticism of their leadership while hating the current situation. Partisans continue to attack the other party while coming up for endless excuses for their own disastrous leadership.

We have two parties which have become effectively brain dead. Yet we have a political system that appears incapable of challenging the monopoly of the two parties even in the face of utter failure. What does this have to say about the assumption that we have a democratic process responsive to public demands? We appear more of an oligarchy that maintains a pretense of a democracy.

Source: Washington Post