&gt; In the US at least, Congressional approval ratings would suggest otherwise.<p>Congressional approval ratings have nothing to do with individual politicians&#x27; power and influence; it measures voters approval of an institution over which each person rating the institution has a vote for <i>at most</i> 3 members, each of which spends a substantial amount of their campaign time using the rest of the institution as an excuse for anything that their constituents might not like.<p>Really, low Congressional approval ratings are, arguably, evidence of the success of individual politicians&#x27; &quot;don&#x27;t hate the player, hate the game&quot; strategy for maximizing their personal position.