CBS POLL: Only 40% pleased with election outcome (58% were pleased in 2006). 30% say GOP have plan.

[jefferson_dem]

The people have spoken. But they don't feel all that great about the results.

A new CBS News poll finds that a majority of Americans are either disappointed by the outcome of last week's midterm elections or simply don't much care.

While 40 percent do say they are pleased by the election outcome, that's a significantly smaller percentage than the 58 percent who were pleased following the 2006 midterm elections.

Americans also don't expect much from those they elected: Forty-one percent predict fewer accomplishments than usual from the new Congress. The percentage who expect more to get done than usual is down from 47 percent after the 2006 midterms to 39 percent today.

Indeed, the election has done little to change Americans' views of Washington. Last month, two percent said they were "enthusiastic" about Washington; today, three percent are enthusiastic. The percentage who say they are satisfied has slightly fallen (though within the margin of error) from 23 percent to 21 percent. And dissatisfaction has actually risen, from 51 percent to 56 percent.

The good news? The increase in dissatisfaction appears to be coming as a result of slightly less anger. The percentage of Americans who describe themselves as angry at the federal government has dropped five points to 18 percent. This is largely due to the fact that the percentage of self-described angry Republicans has fallen from 35 percent to 26 percent.

Overall, however, Americans seem frustrated with their representatives and skeptical of what they are planning. The issue that Americans overwhelmingly say they want the new Congress to focus on is the economy and jobs. Yet just 30 percent say Congressional Republicans have a clear plan for creating jobs, while 58 percent say they do not. The figures for President Obama are slightly better, but not much: Thirty-eight percent say he has a clear job creation plan, while 54 percent say he does not.

<SNIP>

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20022599-503544.html

[onehandle]

1. The people are morons. nt

[LittleBlue]

2. Typical protest vote. We can gain them back by fighting for working people

Will we? It's doubtful.

[ProSense]

3. Nothing says

mandate like: "disappointed by the outcome of last week's midterm elections or simply don't much care."

[karynnj]

11. Great point - not to mention, I never saw much made of the 58% happy in 2006

I also don't recall a CONSTANT stream of talking heads speaking of how Bush has to change his agenda on Iraq - which was certainly the main reason for the vote. (Speaking of which, Bush in his book speaks of McConnell coming to him before the election and asking him to set a deadline to leave Iraq. Imagine that - and think back to what was in play around the time (likely September/early October). Kerry/Feingold was voted on June 22, 2006 - and got 13 votes. Both the DLC wing of the party and the Republicans trashed Senator Kerry endlessly for his careful, well thought out plan. The DLC wing wanted the Democrats not to make an alternative plan the basis of their 2006 campaigns. Gradually, over the fall, more Democrats started using language that Kerry and Feingold did.

It is interesting that McConnell saw how popular that was and wanted Bush to coopt it for the Republicans - all while he continued as the lead Roadblock Republican.

[dchill]

4. Maybe they should have VOTED!

GRRRR!

[KeyserSoze87]

5. Only idiots voted in this year's election.

And now the Republicans are going to stop at nothing to make sure the economy fails.

:banghead: :banghead: :banghead:

[CoffeeCat]

6. Popcorn city...

:popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn:

It's going to be such a treat to watch the next two years
of politics. The tea baggers are on such a high, falsely
believing that the '10 election was a mandate for their
nonsense. Boy are they in for a rude awakening. They're
not going to get what they want, and it won't be the Democrats
stopping them. The Republicans will force the tea baggers
to "compromise" and fairly soon they will be assimilated.

Then, we'll have general gridlock and mayhem, with the most
extremist Republicans in control of the House. They'll
loudly lobby for tax cuts for millionaires and even louder
for cutting unemployment benefits, Medicare, Medicaid,
Social Security and other ridiculous policies that no one
but their nutwing base wants.

America will see how extremist and ineffectual these chumps are.

They will block decent legislation that Obama puts forth and
Obama will look like the voice of reason, as the Republicans
look like stonewalling bullies.

:popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn:

[Lord Magus]

7. So what the hell were those dunces thinking in the voting booth?

The ones who bothered to show up at all that is.

If only there were a constitutional way to ban idiots from voting.

[LiberalFighter]

8. We need to do a better job of getting the facts out there and

refuting false statements or ideas. So that those idiots like the Teabaggers either do a better job of voting or don't vote. Those Teabaggers that might vote the right way would most likely be those that are not in reality Republicans. If the facts can be put out more it could either defuse Teabaggers and like-minded idiots or switch a few of them.

[Lord Magus]

10. Good luck.

Given the state of the media, saying that'll be hard is like saying the sun is hot.

[Marsala]

9. Maybe the House will switch hands every two years from now on

It would be funny if it wasn't such a serious threat to the country's functioning.

[Jennicut]

12. It is a thing called voting...some people are idiots if they did not vote and

are unhappy with the outcome. Of course, it does not say that in the article but we have our own conclusions.

[emulatorloo]

13. Good Grief. Thanks for posting. At least now we know the Repubs don't have a "mandate".

Now somebody tell Mitch McConnell.

[COLGATE4]

14. H. L. Mencken said it brilliantly 90 years ago: "Nobody ever went

broke overestimating the stupidity of the American people". Nothing has changed since.