Just 13% of Likely Voters now say Congress is doing a good or excellent job. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 43% give Congress a poor rating.

Those results represent a slight decrease from last month, when 15% gave Congress a good or excellent rating.

Not surprisingly, Republican voters hold a negative view of Congress. Over half (56%) of Republicans give Congress a poor rating, and only 12% give it a good or excellent rating. Among Democrats, the reviews are decidedly mixed--only 28% give Congress poor ratings while 17% say the legislators are doing a good or excellent job.

Among unaffiliated voters, only 11% rate Congressional performance as good or excellent, while 47% say poor.

The current ratings for Congress are now lower than they were on Election Day 2006. At the time the Democrats won control of the legislature, 15% said Congress was doing a good or an excellent job. Between Election Day and the end of the year, while Republicans were still in control, perceptions of Congress declined even further. Public perceptions of the legislature rebounded after the Democrats grabbed the baton in early 2007 and then began to slump again in early summer as the nation watched congressional leaders try to impose an unpopular immigration bill.

While Congress receives poor reviews, the number of Americans who consider themselves Democrats has soared to new highs after two months of Presidential campaigning. Despite the discouraging reviews on their watch, Democrats continue to lead the Generic Congressional Ballot.

The current survey also found that only 13% of voters believe that, over the past year, Congress has passed legislation to improve life in America. Over half (58%) disagree.

Most voters hold little hope for the future. While 38% believe Congress will seriously address important problems, 58% do not feel the same. Seventy-one percent (71%) of voters feel that members of congress are more interested in their own political careers that actually helping people.

The Supreme Court earns more positive feedback from voters. Thirty-three percent (33%) say the Supreme Court is doing a good or excellent job. Only 17% give it a poor rating.

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