There is one President, elected in a nationwide vote (a popular vote, filtered/distorted through the electoral college). There are 535 members of Congress—435 US Representatives, 100 US Senators—each elected by the popular vote in their district or state.

If the president has a low approval rating, it means that fewer Americans like him. If Congress has a low approval rating, it means that fewer Americans like “them” collectively … but individually is a different story.

Ask most Americans about Congress, and they’ll say it sucks. Ask most Americans about their particular congresscritter and Senator, and chances are pretty good that they’ll think the two are doing a great job—it’s those other 533 sons of bitches who are screwing everything up.

It’s entirely possible—and not unusual—for Congress to have an approval rating of less than 20%, with most Congresspeople having approval ratings among those who elect them of greater than 50%.

The only VP choice that will matter much this year will be in the DP. If Clinton picks Obama or vice versa, they will make a lot of progress towards reuniting the party for November. If Clinton goes with being vindictive and irrational, she’ll pick someone like Bill Richardson and thus create an opening for McKinney and Nader to peel away votes. Then again, she can afford it. Likewise if Obama gets the nod.

McCain will probably pick either Lieberman or Romney. Lieberman would give him a shot at the middle and a halfassed hope to run away from the anger that will be focused on Bush. Romney will be a way he can try to get
Reaganites from staying home or in some cases bolting (Barr, Moore, or whatever).

If Ruwart is relegated to the second spot on the ticket, I don’t think it will mollify those libertarians who are skeptical of Barr. Not that he will care, since he will be too busy trying to carve a chunk out of the Republican vote to focus much attention on that.

And what policies will such a party have on social issues such as drugs, abortion, prostitution, gay rights, and religion in government?

Immigration?

Tariffs/trade?

Not to mention it would take several years to get it on state ballots all over the country; the deadline to do so has passed in some states for this year.

That Congress deserves its low approval. They have not stopped funding for the war or brought the troops home, the main mission they were given control of Congress to do. They have renewed the “patriot” act and basically in all important respects been doormats for Shrub.

They are not going to get any more popular between now and November. But, in an anti-incumbent year like this one, it’s the president, not Congress, who always gets the bulk of the blame – and this year, there will be a lot of blame.

One could argue that the new Democratic president could then expect to get a Republican Congress, but I think it is more likely that people will focus primarily on the presidency and that in a blowout year like this, when the Democrats will win easily by double digits, they will also have coattails that will translate into a bigger lead in Congress – despite how unpopular Congress is.

I prefer obnoxious to annoying.

No, really?

If I remember correctly, you and Barr were the key people supporting Angela, and Barr spoke forcefully on the issue.

I was very favorably impressed by both of these votes by Mr. Barr.

True. The Al-Sadr truce will break before the election, McCain is weak with his base, and the economy will spin further out of control. All bad news for the incumbent party.

And I say this as someone who has no interest in voting for either leading Democrat, hasn’t voted for a Democrat since the ‘92 primaries, and considers the present Democratic leadership in Congress to have utterly sold out the voters who elected them – and predictably so.

I don’t care who wins between McCain, Obama and Clinton, but it won’t be McCain. McCain’s temporary surge is based on two factors – one, the temporary truce in Iraq, which won’t hold into the fall, and two, the bad blood between Clinton and Obama, which will also be old news by then.

If McCain is lucky, he will be the rough equivalent of Humphrey in 1968 or Stevenson in 1952, and if he is less lucky, of Hoover in 1932.

Steve Gordon said: “Raising the Barr!”

I’m for “America needs a shot of freedom – step up to the Barr!” I would save “Raising the Barr” for the post-nomination fund-raising campaigns.

I’m not shedding any tears for that prick Franken though.

How can you explain McCain ahead of Obama in a poll released two days ago for Kentucky: 64% to 28%. And Missouri? McCain ahead in the same poll – I believe it was ARG - 52% to 32%. Those are two very important swing states, that the Dems were hoping to pick up.

And there’s new news on Obama, just breaking. In case you haven’t heard he called his own Grandma a “Typical White Person” on Philly radio yesterday. It’s all over the Political Blogs. This one is going to seriously damage him, even more so than Jeremiah Wright.

I’d bet you’re a white guy, right Dodsworth? How do you feel about being called a “Typical White Guy”? Can you imagine you or me or any other “White Guy” using the phrase, “So and so, is just a Typical Black Guy.”

Wow!

McCain has done everything right? Nonsense. He wrongly said not once but several times that Iran was aiding Al Qaeda. He had to correct himself the last time when Loserman whispered in his ear that he was wrong. He is either a senile old man or simply an ill-informed idiot. Obama will kill him in the general.

It’s because all of them get their news spoonfed to them from far leftwing sources.

I notice not a single one of you here has commented on those specific numbers? Kind of blows you all out of the water, ‘eh?

What we’re seeing here is utter evidence that Libertarians have an extreme bias for the spoon-fed leftwing media. They ignore Fox, Drudge, RedState, HotAir.com, Pajama’s Media, Little Green Footballs, Newsbusters, National Review, American Spectator, Human Events, RightWingNews, Rush, Hannity, Beck, et.al. in favor of the DailyKos, Huffington Post, Washington Post, NY Times, and most certainly CNN.

You all need to start getting a more balanced view of the media. Bet none of you had any idea at all about those amazing poll numbers favoring McCain.

If you get your news spoon-fed from the likes of CNN, and Huffy Post, you ain’t gonna get the real story, just leftwing propoganda.