Americans, Congress and Democratic Responsiveness; Public Evaluations of Congress and Electoral Consequences

The public's satisfaction with Congress determines policy shifts as well as turnovers at election time. Voters may not know the details of specific policies, but they have a general sense of how well Congress serves their own interests; and astute politicians pay attention to public approval ratings. When the majority party is unpopular, as during the 2008 election, both voters and politicians take a hand in reconfiguring the House and the Senate. Voters throw hard-line party members out of office while candidates who continue to run under the party banner distance themselves from party ideology. In this way, public approval directly affects policy shifts as well as turnovers at election time. Contrary to the common view of Congress as insulated institution, Jones and McDermott argue that Congress is indeed responsive to the people of the United States.