The very essence of a republic is that the power comes from the people. Only when the people consent to be governed by a group does that group then possess the power to act. When the government fails to recognize this simple truth, the government collapses either through peaceful process or through more aggressive seizure of the reins of authority. We've managed peaceful process for most of our 222 years as a nation, except for a bit of unpleasantness back in the 1860s.
We have watched for the last year and a half, the increasing distancing of the policy makers from the national will. One need not be driven by polls in policy making, but one must at least acknowledge the arguments put forth by the electorate. When the controlling government ignores the will of the people, fails to convince of the correctness of their choices and blatantly seizes the liberties of the nation for their own benefit, it is inevitable that consent will erode.
Gallup is not my favorite pollster. They are well established and reputable, but it is possible to occasionally see questions formatted in such a way as to predispose an outcome. There are other agencies which seem to ask the questions I seek answers to, but Gallup is a landmark in the public opinion measurement industry. Their methodology is sound and their numbers are verifiable.
Congress Now at Record Low Confidence Level
One person in ten now believes that Congress can do the job. That is an amazing level and it should be indicative of what is coming in roughly 100 days.
3 comments:
Ed, it is worrisome that the Republican party is not coming up with any coherent message as to how they will proceed if elected or even what they will stand for. They need to get a game plan (such as the contract with america) and be specific about what they intend to do if they are allowed to gain control again. They screwed the pooch the last time we trusted them.
Raz, let us hope that this is the case. But while current trends suggest that there may be a sea change in Congress after the November election, the calculus is a bit more complicated. For one thing, we live in a nation that does not read much and where, despite the availability of multiple sources of news/information, the voters are poorly informed. That was apparent in the national election of 2008 when we elected an inexperienced liar who believes in a state controlled economy.
The Gallup poll trend line, while useful, does not reveal that individual voters often have a bifurcated view of Congress. As a group, the confidence level is low. But in local races, voters seem move concerned with a candidate’s television appearance than his/her voting record. The result? We elect Congress critters who are largely illiterate of even fundamental principles of micro- and macroeconomics, national defenses issues, science and technology, and our Constitution (a partial list). But with high unemployment and considerable disgust with the freefalling Obama administration, reason may still prevail.
I'll believe we're going to change the people in congress when I actually see it happen. Year after year people keep re-electing stalwarts such as Barney Frank, Maxine Waters, Charles Rangel and their cohorts. These people have been proven to be dishonest, not to mention arrogant beyond belief and they are continually returned to congress. Why? The answer is far more complicated than people simply don't read or are otherwise uninformed. It's a mystery to me.
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