Why has Congress’ approval rating improved?
From CNN's Jack Cafferty:
Congress' approval rating is higher than it's been in almost 2 years. It's not like they are suddenly loved, but they have managed to crawl out of the gutter, barely.
31% of Americans approve of the job Congress is doing.
The latest Gallup poll also shows Congress' rating jumping up 12 points from last month. 31% of Americans approve of the job Congress is doing now, compared to 19% who felt that way in January.
31% is a long way from stellar but Congress' approval ratings have pretty much hovered below 30% since late 2005. And recently, the ratings have been even more dismal - at around 20% and they hit an all-time low of 14% last summer under the astute leadership of Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid.
Gallup suggests the increase this month is due to Democrats looking more favorably upon Congress since the inauguration of President Obama. Democrats' approval of Congress went from 18% in January to 43% this month. On the other hand, Republicans are now less likely to approve of Congress than last month.
It's possible that more Americans are giving a thumbs-up to Congress because they approve of the work their representatives are doing - namely passing that massive economic stimulus bill rather quickly through both houses.
Here’s my question to you: Why has Congress' approval rating suddenly improved?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
U.S. a “nation of cowards” when it comes to race?
Nearly 46 years after the March on Washington, the Attorney General says Americans remain in their "race-protected cocoons." (PHOTO CREDIT: AFP/GETTY IMAGES)
From CNN's Jack Cafferty:
Some tough words from the nation's first African-American attorney general.
Eric Holder says the U.S. is "essentially a nation of cowards" when it comes to openly talking about race relations.
Holder was speaking to Justice Department employees celebrating Black History Month. He says that although the workplace has become mostly integrated, Americans still self-segregate themselves on the weekends and in their free time. "Though this nation has proudly thought of itself as an ethnic melting pot, in things racial we have always been and I believe continue to be, in too many ways, essentially a nation of cowards," said Holder.
Holder says race is often a political discussion, but not one among average Americans. He says he was motivated by President Barack Obama's speech on race last fall. At the time, then-
candidate Obama called on the nation to break "a racial stalemate we've been stuck in for years." He delivered that landmark speech to try to distance himself from the hateful sermons of his former pastor, the Reverend Jeremiah Wright.
Holder echoed Obama's words in saying there's still so much work to be done in this area. He called on people to be more honest with one another and open to criticism. The attorney general described Americans as being stuck in what he calls their "race-protected cocoons" and said that when it comes to how most of us spend our free time the country in some ways isn't so different from 50 years ago.
Here’s my question to you: Do you agree with Attorney General Eric Holder that the U.S. is a "nation of cowards" when it comes to race?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Should Gov. Palin say how much she owes in back taxes?
From CNN's Jack Cafferty:
Alaska Governor Sarah Palin owes back taxes on almost $17,000 she received from the state in per diem funds while living at her Wasilla home.
Palin's office won't say how much she owes, saying it is a personal matter.
The state decided this week that the payments were not legitimate business expenses and that employees must treat them as income subject to taxes.
You may remember the revelation of these payments became an issue in last year's campaign. It didn't exactly jive with Palin's so-called image as a government reformer. At the time, her office insisted she was entitled to the per diem payments.
Palin collected most of these payments before being named to the GOP ticket as John McCain's running mate. The expenses were paid when she stayed at her Wasilla home and commuted to her Anchorage office instead of staying in the governor's mansion in Juneau. The AP found that Palin continued to charge the state for meals and other incidentals after losing the general election in November.
Palin's office says they don't know if she's still collecting a per diem or will continue to do so. They claim her taxes are a personal matter and won't say how much she owes.
The Alaska Governor had also previously charged the state more than $21,000 for having her kids travel with her, saying they were acting on state business.
Here’s my question to you: Should Governor Sarah Palin have to disclose how much money she owes in back taxes?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
@jackcafferty on Twitter
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