Just Ignore the Men and Women Behind the President

I was doing my AP Government homework about polling, which involved looking up different polls and then analyzing them as good and bad, when I found a Gallup poll that caught my eye. It was a poll about how Congress has the lowest approval rating practically ever, dipping below 30%, tying the 2002 and 1992 approval rating of 18%. Hmm… I thought. How peculiar that the blame for the entire economic crisis, war in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the lack of affordable living be blamed on President Bush, when the Democratic Congress also has a record low approval rating. The poll was a little outdated, taken in June 2008, but there is no way that the Congressional approval rating is higher now that the American people can’t even afford necessities like gas and food. No, there is no way it is higher. But, oddly enough, I can’t find anything to back up my claim. It would seem that the cough, LIBERAL, cough media does not want to put out what the Congressional approval rating is right now because they fear it could endanger their precious Democratic seats in Congress. Now maybe I am a cynic, maybe even a bit of conspiracy theorist when it come to the media, but it just seems interesting that I can find President Bush’s recent low approval ratings, but not the Congressional. But, I can’t just blame the media, because the American people are at fault as well. It would seem that most people elect a scapegoat, not the leader of the free world in presidential elections, and Congress in simply an afterthought. After all, if we don’t get the eighth district, there’s always one county over, right? Wrong! Just like every vote, every seat counts. Congress has more power to wield an agenda and approve big decisions than the president. I think the ideas of checks and balances may be forgotten, because everyone seems to think the president can do whatever he wants. In fact, I laugh a little everytime I hear Obama or McCain say “I will stop climate change!” Oh really, you’re going to be the person in the world who ends the natural and appropriate heating and cooling cycle of our earth. Because really if Al Gore couldn’t do it (and remember, he invented the internet) how could any mere mortal expect to? I think that this year everyone should get informed on the Congressional race and know the power that Congress has as well, because just changing the man in the Oval office doesn’t change everything. In fact, I would say a vote for change is a vote for Congress. If I could vote, I would look at everyone on my ticket and then decide who I want to represent and lead the country AND who I want to be checking and balancing that man all the way through.

What Did I Miss?

I am still processing the debate. Why? It was boring. Normally, I am riveted by this kind of thing, but the debate was worse than a lecture on the origins of sand. Maybe it was just me, but I really do not understand how such serious issues were made to seem so dull. Neither candidate spoke with pizazz. In fact, I was imagining the possible Saturday Night Live skits that could result for a solid 8 minutes. The debate was so boring, that while day dreaming, I was able to simultaneously write down all of the major points. That is why I am not posting anything big tonight. I am letting the debate really sink in, while desperately looking for some jumping off point from which I can formulate coherent new ideas. But then again, if the presidential candidates don't have to, why should I?