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Poll: Americans' confidence in the federal government at a 50-year low, 80 percent are wary
Morning Call ^ | 4/19/2010 | Staff

Posted on 04/19/2010 4:18:15 AM PDT by Red in Blue PA

WASHINGTON (AP) — America's "Great Compromiser" Henry Clay called government "the great trust," but most Americans today have little faith in Washington's ability to deal with the nation's problems.

Public confidence in government is at one of the lowest points in a half century, according to a survey from the Pew Research Center. Nearly 8 in 10 Americans say they don't trust the federal government and have little faith it can solve America's ills, the survey found.

The survey illustrates the ominous situation President Barack Obama and the Democratic Party face as they struggle to maintain their comfortable congressional majorities in this fall's elections. Midterm prospects are typically tough for the party in power. Add a toxic environment like this and lots of incumbent Democrats could be out of work.

The survey found that just 22 percent of those questioned say they can trust Washington almost always or most of the time and just 19 percent say they are basically content with it. Nearly half say the government negatively effects their daily lives, a sentiment that's grown over the past dozen years.

This anti-government feeling has driven the tea party movement, reflected in fierce protests this past week.

(Excerpt) Read more at mcall.com ...


TOPICS: Breaking News; Culture/Society; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 111th; 2010; 2010election; 2010midterms; 2010polls; american; americans; bhoeconomy; bhofascism; bhosocialism; bhotyranny; communism; confidence; democratcongress; democratcorruption; democrats; donttreadonme; economy; elections; federal; government; liberalfascism; liberalprogressivism; liberals; libertyordeath; obama; obamacare; pelsoi; poll; progressives; reid; socialism; standdown; teaparty; teapartyrebellion; tyranny; wary; wethepeople
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1 posted on 04/19/2010 4:18:15 AM PDT by Red in Blue PA
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To: Red in Blue PA
Nearly half say the government negatively effects their daily lives

I agree it affects our lives, but NEGATIVELY!
2 posted on 04/19/2010 4:19:22 AM PDT by Red in Blue PA (Thinking of using 911 for protection? Google "Brittany Zimmerman")
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To: Red in Blue PA

50 year low? You mean the last time the people were so distrustful of government, Kennedy was president?


3 posted on 04/19/2010 4:21:56 AM PDT by ClearCase_guy
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To: Red in Blue PA
Nearly 8 in 10 Americans say they don't trust the federal government and have little faith it can solve America's ills, the survey found.

Government is the religion of liberals and socialist. If this survey is any indication of reality then it's going to be a political bloodbath in November!

4 posted on 04/19/2010 4:25:40 AM PDT by sirchtruth (Freedom is not free)
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To: Red in Blue PA

Wouldn’t it be delicious if public furor grew so cacaphonous prior to the election that the Dems preemptively repealed ObamaCare in hopes of averting an electoral tsunami? Remember, the bill passed with the assurances by Obama, Pelosi, Reid that this would be good politics—that voters would come to love or at least accept ObamaCare once they understood the bill’s details. As each day demonstrates the implausibility of that claim, at some point sheer survival may induce Congress to take actions that today seem nearly impossible to contemplate.

It took 16 months for Congress to repeal the Medicare Catastrophic Act of 1988. Perhaps in the case of ObamaCare, Congress will come to its senses in only half the time!


5 posted on 04/19/2010 4:25:45 AM PDT by DrC
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To: ClearCase_guy

Eisenhower. But I took it to mean “never in the history of polling this question”.


6 posted on 04/19/2010 4:27:48 AM PDT by rightwingcrazy
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To: ClearCase_guy

Eisenhower?


7 posted on 04/19/2010 4:32:04 AM PDT by 9YearLurker
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To: rightwingcrazy
I think you are obviously right. But I guess it would make Obama sound especially bad to say "never in the history of polling this question” has any president been so mistrusted.
8 posted on 04/19/2010 4:32:31 AM PDT by ClearCase_guy
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To: DrC

The bastards might repeal the health part of the bill but they will leave the 2/3 of the bill that empowers the IRS. Little things like the 3.8% sales tax on selling your home,,,little things like that.


9 posted on 04/19/2010 4:35:13 AM PDT by Concho
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To: Red in Blue PA

I guess the welfare crowd are even getting worried about Uncle Sugar. ;0)


10 posted on 04/19/2010 4:41:37 AM PDT by seemoAR
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To: Red in Blue PA

Where were the “fierce” protests last week? New Orleans?


11 posted on 04/19/2010 4:41:49 AM PDT by csmusaret (If it sounds like Marx and acts like Stalin, it must be Obama!)
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To: Red in Blue PA

Then why do they continually vote to send Big Government advocates like Dear Reader to DC?


12 posted on 04/19/2010 4:46:37 AM PDT by MNJohnnie (The problem with socialism is eventually you run out of other peoples money. Lady Thatcher)
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To: ClearCase_guy

It maybe that they did not poll on this question until the 1960s. In that case, Distrust of the Government is at an all time low, as far as we know.


13 posted on 04/19/2010 4:47:32 AM PDT by MNJohnnie (The problem with socialism is eventually you run out of other peoples money. Lady Thatcher)
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To: Red in Blue PA
For every person attending a Tea Party rally, there's a few thousand more who wish they were there.
Political correctness was designed to silence anyone from speaking out against the left wing agenda. Thank God America got her voice back before it was too late.
Speak up now, or forever hold your tongues.
14 posted on 04/19/2010 4:47:49 AM PDT by concerned about politics ("Get thee behind me, Liberal")
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To: Red in Blue PA
Nearly 8 in 10 Americans say they don't trust the federal government and have little faith it can solve America's ills, the survey found.

Name one thing that isn't regulated by the government.

15 posted on 04/19/2010 4:49:29 AM PDT by concerned about politics ("Get thee behind me, Liberal")
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To: concerned about politics

I think the polls aren’t completely off the cliff due to political correctness.


16 posted on 04/19/2010 4:58:45 AM PDT by NoExpectations
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To: Concho

“they will leave the 2/3 of the bill that empowers the IRS”

I concur that having created a Rube Goldberg-inspired hodge-podge of devices to channel $1T in resources through Uncle Sam’s coffers, they will be most reluctant to give this up. If I were conspiracy-minded, it would be tempting to view this whole charade as a massive shell game in which the Dems design a plan to raise $1T in new revenues on the pretext of assisting the uninsured, but voluntarily dispense with the latter assistance on grounds the public does not support it, leaving behind an infrastructure for capturing “enhanced revenues.”


17 posted on 04/19/2010 5:18:48 AM PDT by DrC
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To: sirchtruth
Government is the religion of liberals and socialist. If this survey is any indication of reality then it's going to be a political bloodbath in November!

Just keeping in mind, though... some of the respondents are those who keep government as the religion and are of the belief it isn't doing ENOUGH to take over their lives. But I do agree it'll be a bloodbath in November.

18 posted on 04/19/2010 5:19:11 AM PDT by ScottinVA (RIP to the country I love...)
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To: sirchtruth

“Government is the religion of liberals and socialist.”

You are exactly right. But it appears that people are waking up.


19 posted on 04/19/2010 5:22:38 AM PDT by popdonnelly (I'm so old, I remember when free enterprise was praised, and communism was shunned.)
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To: Red in Blue PA

BUSH’S FALT!!!!111!!!11!!!!


20 posted on 04/19/2010 5:23:15 AM PDT by Lonely Bull
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