In spite of political bickering, giant triple-digit plummets in the markets and a roiled American constituency, it's not necessarily President Barack Obama who's getting hammered at the polls.
It's Congress.
A mere 10 percent of Americans polled by FOX News from Aug. 7-9 approve of the job Congress is doing. And a CNN poll from Aug. 1 says 84 percent frown at how the House and Senate are handling their duties.
The president, meanwhile, according to an aggregate of polls by Real Clear Politics, is middling around the 50-50 mark. Recently, his highest disapproval rating is 56 percent (Rasmussen Reports, Aug. 8-10). His lowest approval score is 41 percent, Gallup says.
So, polling aside, how do individual voters feel about their representatives and senators? To get an idea, we asked Yahoo! contributors whether their congressional leaders deserved another shot if an election were held today.
Below are a handful of voters' commentaries. To write your own, sign up with the Yahoo! Contributor Network today. We'll add more here.
A Reluctant 'Yes' Vote for Speaker John Boehner
"Recent polls are suggesting Americans that are dissatisfied with Congress and its recent performance, and I agree with them. Despite the fact that I like Boehner, I can't sit back and watch grown men and women squabble like this anymore. If I had to vote now, I'd still vote for Boehner. However, if Boehner and his committee fail to work together to reach a deal, that will likely cause me to do something I never thought I'd do: vote for someone else. Seeing my country get out of debt has become one of my biggest priorities." -- Derek Ciapala
N.Y.'s Bishop Simply Not a Leader, Shouldn't Be Re-Elected
"Bishop is not a bad representative. Given the absurd amount of people in Congress who are incompetent and/or morally depraved, it is refreshing that everything points to the fact that he is a genuinely good person. He is smart and hard-working. There has not even been the slightest rumor of him being connected to any kind of scandal. Unfortunately, Bishop seems to lack the character trait that the country desperately needs right now." -- Matt Savarese
Hoosiers Should Feel Confident in Re-Electing Joe Donnelly
"Joe Donnelly has also worked to enable the use of corn as an energy source and further research into other possible energy sources for Indiana. In fact, Donnelly's entire agenda seems to be focused on helping hard working Hoosier families regain their pride and quality of life. He fights against using tax dollars to subsidize companies like Exxon and looks to local resources to further Indiana's success rate. He wants Hoosiers to do the same." -- Kathy Foust
Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill
McCaskill Deserves Second Term
"McCaskill is a strong advocate for her own constituents as well as Americans in general. She has been a firm voice for getting financial support for the city of Joplin after it was devastated by the EF5 tornado May 22. Along with Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., and Rep. Billy Long, R-Mo., she came out against a FEMA ruling that denied more federal funding for cleanup efforts." -- William Browning
North Carolina Rep. David Price
North Carolina's Price Stands Up to Tea Party
"He treats his constituents like real people. Like the time in 2008 that he took off from campaigning to visit an elementary school, without any press or cameras around (except for one proud parent who snagged an adorable shot). Or the way his response to my activist email campaigns included a long list of constituent services that he offers, including "Help with a Federal Agency," "Help with Financial Aid," and even making reservations for tours of government buildings." -- Jared Spurbeck
Tennessee Rep. Scott DesJarlais, senators Lamar Alexander, Bob Corker
DesJarlais, Alexander and Corker Not Worthy of Congress
"Here, smack dab in the center of Tennessee's District 4, "my" representative -- I have to call him that, even though he does little to represent me or any of the values and principles for which I stand -- is Scott DesJarlais. He is not the man for whom I voted in the last election, and he is not a man for whom I would vote were another election to be held later this afternoon. The exact same thing is true of both my state senators, Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker." -- Eloah James
South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham
Financial Steadiness Shows Sen. Graham Has Earned Re-Election
"My faith was restored in Graham when he voted against the compromise debt-limit agreement, which passed the Senate with a 74-26 margin. Graham rightly recognized our country could not add more and more debt without cutting future spending to balance the budget." -- Sophie Walton
Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin
Why Durbin Will Not Get My Vote
"Durbin's interest and allegiance is not to the citizens of Illinois, but to the Democrat Party and big government. I strongly disagree with him on many issues, all of which are hurting the country. The three that are foremost in my mind - health care, stimulus, debt ceiling -- all contribute to the uncertainty surrounding the economy, prevent business from hiring and investing, and prevent consumers from spending." -- Gregory Schmidt
California senators Diane Feinstein, Barbara Boxer
Senators Feinstein, Boxer Still Fight for Seniors
"Boxer has been every bit as dedicated as Feinstein in supporting our seniors. She has argued for improved compensation for Medicare doctors, lower drug prices for seniors on Medicare, and incentives for more healthcare workers to specialize in elder health. She has fought to keep the Medicare age at 65 when conservatives wanted to raise it to 67. We will never build a strong society by tearing down its weakest members." -- Robert Clark Young
Alaska Rep. Don Young
Why We Shouldn't Re-Elect Alaska Rep. Young
"Ignoring the fact that 38 years is far too long for any one individual to represent a state, and fresh-blood is needed for true change, there is a wide range of reasons Young has no place in government at all. I find a few of Don's qualities useful to the state -- he does bring in a great deal of funds, supports gun ownership, wishes to abolish the IRS and lower taxes. But, overall, he has spent his now 19 terms seeped in corruption, with a wanton lack of concern for the environment, no understanding that personal values and opinions have no place in government, and a big-time issue with budgeting. Young is a poster-child encouraging the belief that Congress is not doing its job, a belief roughly 70 percent of the nation now holds." -- Unwirklich Vin Zant
Texas Rep. Mike Conaway, senators John Cornyn, Kay Bailey Hutchinson
I Would Not Re-Elect My Texas Representative, Senators
"Mike Conaway, one of the few CPAs in Congress, should have been making news and making noise. He should have been loud and proud, asserting his expertise. His press releases, however, are mute on the debt crisis. Sure, he has advocated for great accountability in government funding and wants to audit expenditures so that the public knows where its dollars are going -- very admirable. But I don't want quiet and admirable. I was a loud gunslinger who's gonna get his hands dirty. There's a crisis going on in Washington over debt and scarce dollars, and the accountant has made hardly a peep." -- Owen Rust
Georgia Sen. Saxby Chambliss
Georgia Sen. Chambliss Understands Nation's Financial Crisis
"Many people just want the government to operate as we do and live within its means. And do so without simply increasing its means by raising our taxes or borrowing more money. According to Chambliss, he could not support a bill that not only took "no concrete steps toward reducing America's public debt," it actually allows the government to continue to borrow at the rate of $4 billion per day." -- Martha Fry
