Voters frustrated with lack of change: poll

By Andy Sullivan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. voters are growing cynical about politics as the newly Democratic Congress has been unable to change Bush administration policies like the war in Iraq, according to a poll released on Thursday.

The George Washington University Battleground Poll found widespread disillusionment among voters, with 71 percent of those surveyed saying their member of Congress put partisan politics ahead of voters' actual concerns.

Lawmakers as a whole fared even worse: 93 percent of voters' surveyed said members of Congress put partisan politics first.

"The election of 2006 was in the point of view of many Americans a failure in that it has not changed the direction of politics," said Christopher Arterton, a university dean and political expert at George Washington.

Both political parties received negative reviews from a majority of the 1,000 likely voters surveyed, though Republicans received lower marks across the board.

A record 70 percent said the country was on the wrong track.

Analysts said this attitude would make it difficult for lawmakers seeking re-election next year.

"Cynicism may be the hot new political trend," Republican pollster Brian Tringali said at a news conference announcing the poll results.

The bipartisan poll found that 52 percent of the 1,000 likely voters surveyed disapproved of the job Democrats were doing in Congress this year. Top criticisms included the inability of Democrats to pass meaningful legislation and change the course of the war in Iraq.

Congressional Republicans fared worse, with a 61 percent disapproval rating. The same number said they disapproved of President George W. Bush's job performance, though 57 percent said they approved of him as a person.

"The country wants change and they're not seeing change from either party," Democratic pollster Celinda Lake told the news conference. "Thank God Democrats get to vote against somebody."

Democrats also fared better in electoral matchups, with 49 percent saying they would vote for the Democratic candidate for president if the election were held today, while 38 percent said they would vote for the Republican candidate.

In congressional races, 47 percent said they would vote for the Democrat, while 40 percent said they would vote for the Republican.

But respondents preferred leading Republican candidate Rudy Giuliani over leading Democrat Hillary Clinton 49 percent to 44 percent. Clinton tied with likely Republican candidate Fred Thompson at 46 percent each.

Democrat Barack Obama fared better against Republicans, beating Giuliani 52 percent to 42 percent and beating Thompson 56 percent to 35 percent.

The survey had a margin of error of 3 percent.