If the Republicans thought they could use their control of both houses of Congress as a springboard to take the 2016 election (including putting one of their own in the White House), they should be sorely disappointed. The Republican-controlled 114th Congress is just as unpopular as the divided 113th Congress. Only 14% of the general public approves of the job Congress is doing, while 62% disapprove.
The public disapproved of the 113th Congress because the Republican House and Democratic Senate wouldn't compromise for the good of the country. They now see that the Republican-controlled 114th Congress is no better. Gaining control has just emboldened the Republicans to pursue their extremist policies instead of compromising with the Democrats to solve the nation's problems -- and the ability of Congress to get anything substantial done is just as ineffectual as it previously was. Showing splits among their own ranks, the Republican Congress is showing they are incapable of governing.
The charts above are made from a new YouGov Poll -- taken between March 14th and 16th of a random national sample of 1,000 adults, with about a 4 point margin of error.
