Poll shows majority of Americans support kicking out all members of Congress

(http://firstread.nbcnews.com) A recent poll held by NBC News and the Wall Street Journal shows that, if they had the chance, 60 percent of Americans would fire every representative in Congress.

The poll asked Americans this question: "If there were a place on your ballot that allowed you to vote to defeat and replace every single member of Congress, including your own representative, would you do this, or not?" 60 percent of respondents said yes, 35 percent said no, and 5 percent said not sure.

That is up from July, when 57 percent said yes, and is the highest figure ever for that poll's question.

47 percent of Americans polled say that they do not strongly identify with either the Republican or Democrat party. Only 14 percent of Americans "think things in the nation are generally headed in the right direction," as opposed to 78 percent of Americans who "feel things are off on the wrong track." This is the most negative response in this since October 2012, when the same number said the country was off on the wrong track and only 12 percent believed we were headed in the right direction.

Americans' belief in the economy is just as pessimistic. Just 17 percent think the economy will improve next year, whereas 42 percent think that it will get worse.

Peter D. Hart, who conducted the poll with Bill McInturff, points out that the situation is ripe for the rise of independent or third-party candidates. According to Hart, "Somewhere, someone's going to pick up and run with the 'throw them all out'" banner.

You can read the full poll for yourself here.