# "U.S. going Communist" is now more popular than Congress **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 25, 2013, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-going-communist-is-now-more-popular-than-congress/664523 "2013-07-25T21:22:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2013, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-going-communist-is-now-more-popular-than-congress/664523/1 "2013-07-25T21:22:51Z")
Also more popular than Hugo Chavez, but less popular than Paris Hilton. Story and chart [here](http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2013/06/14/the-best-congressional-approval-chart-ever/). ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2013, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-going-communist-is-now-more-popular-than-congress/664523/2 "2013-07-26T12:45:41Z")
9% of people actually approve of Congress? What percentage of conscious people? ---
**Author:** ![Renifer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/71c47a/32.png) [@Renifer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renifer)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2013, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-going-communist-is-now-more-popular-than-congress/664523/3 "2013-07-26T15:53:40Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > 9% of people actually approve of Congress? What percentage of conscious people? From what I understand, Congress was not that popular to begin with. Example, _Mars Attacks_. “Hahaha, they blew up Congress.” And by unpopular, I mean Congress seems to be on the same level of popularity as taxes or dentists – necessary but unpleasant. ---
**Author:** ![Barking\_Dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Barking\_Dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barking_Dog)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2013, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-going-communist-is-now-more-popular-than-congress/664523/4 "2013-07-26T17:16:08Z")
What has Congress been doing to get that high an approval rating? Is it coming around with pie, touching you on the knee and telling you you lost weight? ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2013, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-going-communist-is-now-more-popular-than-congress/664523/5 "2013-07-26T17:41:40Z")
Congress isn’t all that bad! the 9%ers must be fans of The Daily Show and Colbert and voted that they approved of Congress because of the hilarious comedy they provide us all. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2013, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-going-communist-is-now-more-popular-than-congress/664523/6 "2013-07-26T17:45:57Z")
> [@Renifer](#): > > And by unpopular, I mean Congress seems to be on the same level of popularity as taxes or dentists – necessary but unpleasant. Much worse than taxes, apparently, with the IRS having an approval level more than four times higher. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2013, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-going-communist-is-now-more-popular-than-congress/664523/7 "2013-07-26T18:31:23Z")
If Fidel worked at it he could get higher numbers than congress. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2013, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-going-communist-is-now-more-popular-than-congress/664523/8 "2013-07-26T18:43:41Z")
Wouldn’t surprise me if \*Ariel \*Castro had higher approvals. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2013, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-going-communist-is-now-more-popular-than-congress/664523/9 "2013-07-27T06:43:14Z")
And yet, for various reasons, it is nearly impossible to unseat a sitting congressman. Everyone thinks their congress rep is A-OK the problem lies with those other jerk-offs. ---
**Author:** ![ataraxy22](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ataraxy22/32/307_2.png) [@ataraxy22](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ataraxy22)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2013, 8:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-going-communist-is-now-more-popular-than-congress/664523/10 "2013-07-27T08:51:02Z")
I’m in favor of abolishing the legislative branch of government entirely. Frankly, even totalitarian regimes seem to apply more logic and concern for the governed than Congress as a whole has demonstrated lately. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2013, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-going-communist-is-now-more-popular-than-congress/664523/11 "2013-07-28T04:28:56Z")
> [@ataraxy22](#): > > I’m in favor of abolishing the legislative branch of government entirely. And replacing it with what? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2013, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-going-communist-is-now-more-popular-than-congress/664523/12 "2013-07-28T05:00:39Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > And replacing it with what? 535 monkeys with typewriters. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2013, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-going-communist-is-now-more-popular-than-congress/664523/13 "2013-07-28T07:05:45Z")
> [@Renifer](#): > > And by unpopular, I mean Congress seems to be on the same level of popularity as taxes or dentists – necessary but unpleasant. Actually, there are people who don’t believe taxes are necessary. And there are people who don’t believe that dentists are necessary. And then there are the knuckle-draggers who don’t believe _either_ are necessary! Like all those yokels in \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ (insert your favorite “whipping-boy” state here :D) ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2013, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-going-communist-is-now-more-popular-than-congress/664523/14 "2013-07-30T21:16:02Z")
So everybody hates Congress… and yet, incumbent Senators and Congressmen usually win re-election comfortably. So, most Americans LOVE their own representatives- they just hate everybody else’s. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2013, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-going-communist-is-now-more-popular-than-congress/664523/15 "2013-07-30T21:19:50Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > So everybody hates Congress… and yet, incumbent Senators and Congressmen usually win re-election comfortably. > > So, most Americans LOVE their own representatives- they just hate everybody else’s. It may be that they just prefer their current representative to the one that wants to replace him. It’s not like we get a lot of choices. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2013, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-going-communist-is-now-more-popular-than-congress/664523/16 "2013-07-30T21:46:01Z")
Okay, let’s get specific- if I asked liberal San Franciscans, “Do you hate Nancy Pelosi,” what would they say? I don’t know, obviously, but I’d guess they like Nancy just fine. If they say they hate “Congress,” it’s because they hate people like Michelle Bachman and Ted Cruz. Meanwhile, Texans like their own conservative Congressmen just fine- if they say they hate “Congress,” it’s because they hate Nancy Pelosi and CHuck Schumer. ---
**Author:** ![GreasyJack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df705f/32.png) [@GreasyJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreasyJack)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2013, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-going-communist-is-now-more-popular-than-congress/664523/17 "2013-07-30T21:54:03Z")
I sort of wonder if the relative popularity of “going communist” is just due to the total distortion of words like communism and socialism in the right wing vernacular. If someone’s understanding of “communism” is the Fox News one, they might just think it means a moderate increase in social and infrastructure spending.