Approval of congress at 40 year low.

[No Elephants]

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2013/10/congress-dives-anti-incumbency-soars-in-deep-post-shutdown-criticism/

Seriously? The Watergate hearing Congress and this Congress are about on a par in the minds of Americans?

Major events
Main articles: 1973 in the United States, 1974 in the United States, and 1975 in the United States

January 20, 1973: President Richard Nixon and Vice President Spiro Agnew inaugurated for their second term
January 22, 1973: Supreme Court issued abortion decision, Roe v. Wade
January 27, 1973: Paris Peace Accords signed
October 10, 1973: Vice President Spiro Agnew resigned
October 20, 1973: Saturday Night Massacre
December 6, 1973: Vice President Gerald Ford inaugurated

<snip>

Major legislation
Main article: List of United States federal legislation#93rd United States Congress

August 13, 1973: Federal Aid Highway Act of 1973, Pub.L. 93–87, title I, 87 Stat. 250
September 26, 1973: Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Pub.L. 93–112, 87 Stat. 355
October 1, 1973: Domestic Volunteer Services Act of 1973 (VISTA), Pub.L. 93–113, 87 Stat. 394
November 3, 1973: Amtrak Improvement Act, Pub.L. 93–146, 87 Stat. 548
November 7, 1973: War Powers Resolution, Pub.L. 93–148, 87 Stat. 555
December 28, 1973: Comprehensive Employment and Training Act, Pub.L. 93–203
December 28, 1973: Endangered Species Act, Pub.L. 93–205, 87 Stat. 884
December 29, 1973: Health Maintenance Organization Act of 1973, Pub.L. 93–222

<snip>

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/93rd_United_States_Congress

Maybe there was frustration that they seemed to be playing D v. R, rather than attending more to the people's business, much as the current Congress.

Interesting (?). Despite the low ratings in 1973 for the Democratic Congress, wiki says Democrats in November 1975 increased their majority in both Houses. If that is not a cautionary tale for the present, I don't know what is.


Still can't believe that the 1973 Watergate Congress got rated about the same as the 2013 Shutdown Congress. We must have been a lot pickier 30 years ago!

They've numbed us down and dumbed us down. We need to get pickier again.

If ever there was an opportunity for an inspirational figure to ride in on horseback and become a hero....



P.S. I just did some checking. The Yom Kippur war began October 6, 1973, causing OPEC to hike oil prices. I guess that would be enough to negate the fact that US involvement in Vietnam ended. I guess we all have our priorities.

http://www.infoplease.com/year/1973.html

[Enthusiast]

1. We had higher expectation for congress years ago.

Yes. They have numbed us down and dumbed us down. Rightie corporations also control the media and they use intricately produced propaganda.

That's what we must be fearful of—a charismatic hero figure that turns out to be something else.

[No Elephants]

2. As I mentioned elsewhere, my friend, I have become

almost incapable of partisan criticism. In my opinion, the media does lean right, but it is also pro-establishment. And, while a Democrat is President, he or she will get the benefit of that.

And, government, too, uses propaganda. Always has, but recently, a law was passed expressly approving propagandizing of Americans by the US government.

History does repeat itself, but recurring things do not necessarily recur in the same exact way as they did in the past.

For example, we had religious crusades once. Maybe we will have them again in that same way. Or maybe we are seeing that history repeat itself in the political influence of the religious right in this country and others.

I think we've already had charismatic heroes that turned out to be something else, including Reagan, Clinton, Bush and Obama. We have not yet had the most extreme version we could have, but I believe that we are getting there, but, perhaps not dramatically, but in degrees, as it were.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boiling_frog