Posted on 10/22/2013 8:59:04 PM PDT by Maelstorm
PRINCETON, NJ -- Six in 10 Americans (60%) believe the federal government has too much power, one percentage point above the previous high recorded in September 2010. At least half of Americans since 2005 have said the government has too much power. Thirty-two percent now say the government has the right amount of power. Few say it has too little power.
(Excerpt) Read more at gallup.com ...
Unfortunately, they like it that way.
2014 could be another 2010 wave IF the GOP could get their act together
We need to calculate a Federal Government BMI index and show that the US is way overweight compared to its betters (Switzerland comes to mind).
You are exactly right. This is like a gold vein just waiting to be mined. This is one of the reasons I have come to believe that the GOP doesn’t want to win on a limited government message. That too many don’t want to limit the power of the federal government. This is not a losing issue for them.
I am laughing. So you really believe there is two parties to our government?
There will be a point where that 60% figures it’s too powerful to resist. Who does resist will be much less than 60%.
I favor a simpler visceral emotional approach. People don’t trust government and we have tons of recent examples to campaign on. Just speak to the people in a populist fashion. Also it shouldn’t be hard to come up with some populist policies around limiting government, its monitoring, its intrusion, its size. Make it personal.
And without Romneycare on the GOP’s back, they can attack this law, EVERY... SINGLE... DAY. It is unpopular, and sinking fast.
If the strategists at the GOP were as smart as the rat strategists, we’d win 9/10 races. But no, we’re stuck with....Karl Rove
I believe there is a political class and I believe there are those that are outside of it like Cruz, Lee, and Paul though Paul is more willing to play ball with the intent to gain the power to change things. I figure about a third of elected officials don’t view themselves as a part of the political elite but of course those are the ones that are ridiculed and pounced on by the media.
Hmm . . .
They didn’t ask me. Why, I wonder . . .
I pray for it but I don’t trust most of them at all to do it. I don’t even think most of them want to do it.
When 47% of the people pay no income taxes, they couldn’t care less about your call for lower taxes. And when tens of millions are on some form of government assistance, they don’t want to hear your plan for smaller government. That’s just the facts.
It’s hard to win against Santa Claus.
It’s a good question. The problem is primarily articulating a mechanism for limiting federal government power.
Here are some possibilities :
1. Return to the 1974 Budget control act and end the zero line budgeting process that guarnatees automatic program funding increases.
2. Some of the Levin liberty amendments on taxation, spending and such
3. Win the House and the Senate for Republicans. Not nearly enough is made of how Republican control of all of Congress is the last time the nation ran a surplus. I know some will quibble about brief bouts of republican control under Bush but switches made that largely inoperable compared to the House sweep of 94 and asending Republican control of the Senate in the late 1990s. A Republican senate would change the federal government in a big way.
4. Adopt budget models found in states with surpluses such as Texas. This would include legislator limits on talking to parties while legislation is pending.
5. Adopt an energy policy mirrored after other nation and state policies that produce growth and revenue. Offer a relatively deregulated view of fracking in exchange for massive treasury infusions gained by becoming a fossil fuel super state that dwarfs Saudi Arabia. Fracking makes that more than possible if a federal policy could usurp local enviro radicals. Moreover, the policy could boost US GDP growth rates above 4% which would almost instantly destroy the deficit.
Essentially a federal policy of drill baby drill. Realize that all of the current boom is limited to private lands. Opening federal holdings would be the death knell of OPEC and the beginning of a more than ONE TRILLION DOLLAR annual industry in the United States.
6. Creative federalism. Look at Republican states and derive federal policies that mirror their legislative and fiscal policies. Spin out block grants of entrenched federal programs to the states.
America is growing increasingly conservative.
Then when anyone complained about the fedgov being too big or intrusive he could have dismissed it as the ranting of paranoids.
However he went out of his way to point out the the fedgov is not only way too involved in everything but that they can be used to make life unpleasant if King Poutypants decides to stamp his wittle foots and throw a tantrum.
I like a lot of those ideas. I also believe that we’d make headway advocating de-federalization of drug programs returning to the pre 1971 war on drugs model. We don’t have to get into the legalization argument but can be supporting an approach I think a majority of Americans could embrace. I think this could be done also with many social programs starting with many smaller ones. Empower states and empower people. When the federal government shuts down you shouldn’t have your state parks shutting down. Why not de-federalize those? We have to think the way the average person thinks. Too often GOP targets ideas to the wonks. We need to appeal to basic instincts of individualism.
I believe America is becoming increasingly skeptical of big government but the GOP is failing to tap into it. I do believe America is more conservative than is represented by elections due to the media filters and academic bias scaring people away from conservative self-id. There have been several studies showing that peer pressure plays huge roll in suppressing natural conservative tendencies.
I think you are correct about drugs— unfortunately. There is massive public support for legalization.
I think it is bad but probably would not hurt the nation as much as continued democratic rule.
I also think small scale but vivid ideas like the parks would probably work well.
I would also add a notion that federal subsidies have to be paid back. That could be done experimentally to an entire range of federal activities.
WHO WROTE THAT FREAKIN HEADLINE?
It should read:
A record level of Americans believe that their government is too powerful.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.