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Poll: Congress is unpopular. Are we surprised?

Congress’ job approval rating is 15% this month, just five points above the lowest approval rating the poll has ever record for the legislative body.
The dome of the U.S. Capitol, reflected  (Photo by Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)
The dome of the U.S. Capitol, reflected

Congress’ job approval rating is 15% this month, just five points above the lowest approval rating the poll has ever record for the legislative body.

The latest Gallup poll found the legislative body’s approval rating had dipped slightly to 15% in July, down from 17% in early June.

Congress’ average for the year is also 15%—tied with 2012 for the lowest annual approval rating Congress has ever had. A full 78% of Americans disapprove of Congress’ job.

Last month, another Gallup poll found that party gridlock was the top reason Americans disapprove of the job Congress is doing, followed by “not getting anything done/not making decisions.”

Majority Leader and Nevada Democrat Sen. Harry Reid slammed Congress in an interview on Sunday.

“Is there anyone out there in the world, real world, that believes that what`s going on in the Congress of the United States is good?” he said on Meet the Press. “Our approval rating is lower than North Korea’s.”

While that comparison was false, Congress did rank lower than cockroaches and root canals in a January poll by the left-leaning survey firm Public Policy Polling. The same poll did find Congress to be more popular than the Kardashians, Communism, and gonorrhea.