Posted on 05/12/2012 5:39:26 AM PDT by Kaslin
When relationships go bad, an early warning sign is that one side doesn't really hear what the other is saying. That's certainly the case today in the relationship between voters and America's political class.
Many in Washington, D.C., took comfort over the past year in polling data showing that fewer voters consider themselves part of the tea party movement. Only 13 percent claim such a tie today, roughly half its peak in 2010. This was reassuring to those in power, suggesting voters were willing to let the politicians return to politics as usual.
But the panic returned to Washington this week, following the defeat of 36-year incumbent Sen. Richard Lugar in a Republican primary election.
The reality that the politicians missed is that declining membership in the tea party did not mean a decline in anger at the political class. That's because the tea party has always been strongest when it tapped into concerns that most Americans shared. In particular, the tea party highlighted the twin problems of continuous government spending growth and a self-serving political class that's out of touch with voters.
Today, only 33 percent are even somewhat confident that their representative in Congress is looking out for the best interests of their constituents. Only 8 percent are very confident.
Sixty-five percent are angry at the policies of the federal government, but few see anybody in Washington willing to take on the status quo. There is a strong belief that Democrats are the party of big government and the Republicans the party of big business. Seven out of 10 believe big government and big business work together against the rest of us.
So it's no surprise that 53 percent believe that neither Republican nor Democratic leaders have an understanding of what the country needs today.
Confirming the disconnect is the fact that government spending has gone up every single year for 58 years, even though voters have elected presidents and members of Congress who promise every election to cut that spending. As I show in my book, "The People's Money," voters are ready to make the hard choices needed to cut spending and balance the budget, but the political class is more interested in pursuing its own agenda.
As a result, if given a choice to keep or replace the entire Congress, 68 percent would throw them all out. Only 11 percent would keep them.
Ultimately, the relationship between voters and politicians has gone sour because they are focused on different goals. Voters are interested in a society that works, while politicians are focused on making government work.
From the perspective of voters, the major political divide in the nation is between mainstream Americans and the political class. Politicians would prefer to ignore that divide and focus on whether Washington Republicans or Washington Democrats should run the club for the next couple of years.
In many troubled relationships, both sides deserve some of the blame. But the United States is a nation founded on the belief that governments gain their legitimacy only from the consent of the governed. In the relationship between the people and the political class, that means the voters are right and the politicians need to change.
I agree with you; the fault is in the American people; they are hapless underlings.
I agree with you; the fault is in the American people; they are hapless underlings.
I wonder if one reason the number of self-identified Tea Party members has diminished over the past year or so is because of the realization that the Tea Party would represent a threat of a third party if it became demonstrably large.
Instead, I think many of those who consider themselves Tea Party material have made the decision to cast their lot with the Republican Party, in the hopes of accomplishing exactly what was accomplished when Lugar was thrown out of office.
Splitting off a huge conservative group into a third party would just ensure that Obama and the Dems remain in power, possibly even returning the House to the Democrats in the process.
Going at it this way, by keeping the Tea Party within the Republican ranks, is a far better way to accomplish the Tea Party goals. In fact, with enough of a rightward shift (and I think it will be a huge shift), Romney could be dragged well to the right of center and remain there throughout his Presidency. After all, he’s proven that he will move to where the voters of the moment are. If the voters are overwhelmingly moving right, so will he.
On another note, regarding Obama’s latest “enemies list,” at some point a few liberal reporters are going to go off the liberal reservation due to stuff like this. And when they do, they’re going to find themselves on a similar list. If that does happen, it’s going to wake up a lot of liberals to the mess they’ve created, at which point it could get interesting. (Obama’s treatment by the comedy shows will be the best place to gauge whether this process is underway, and how fast it’s progressing, should it ever get started.)
You do realize what a faint hope that is?
The Willard will nominate Souters and Kennedys galore. As in Kelo, as in Planned Parenthood vs. Casey, as in Lawrence vs. Texas. Can hardly wait to see Romney's nominees' opinions on the next 2A case.
Lookin' good for our side, if The Willard wins. </s>
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