

Good thing the ballot choices for Nov. 2's national midterm elections don't include "None of the Above."

Or voters would turn Congress upside down.

That's because a new Gallup Poll out this morning finds barely one-in-three Americans approves of the job being done in Congress by either party -- 32% approval for Republicans and 33% for Democrats.

Gallup finds the parties' ratings near the low end of what they've been historically -- the 30% bottom for Democrats in December of 2007 11 months after they took control of both houses and the 25% for Republicans in December of 2008 at the end of you-know-who's eight years of policies.

Since the start of Obama's term in early 2009, the Democratic ratings have been sliding downward while the usually lower GOP ratings have remained low but steady.

According to Gallup's analysis, this new poll should temper GOP joy over its recent rise on the generic congressional ballot. This is not because voters have become fond of Republican policies, whatever they are.

But because voters don't like what Democrats have been doing -- and if you don't like McDonald's in American politics, there's only Burger King to choose from. Not counting those who opt for the Librarian Party. (Just checking if you're reading closely; we meant Libertarian.)

Nor are voters liking much of what any incumbent is doing.

So might this broad bipartisan disaffection smother the turnout come Nov. 2?

On Tuesday, a Gallup Poll on the generic congressional ballot found the two parties tied, in marked contrast to other recent polls showing a widening Republican lead in party preference. (See Related Items below.)

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-- Andrew Malcolm

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Photo: The U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. Credit: Saul Loeb AFP/Getty Images

