The Trust Deficit
April 20, 2010 - by
It’s bad news for Democrats when only 22 percent of Americans say they trust government.
That number comes from a Pew Research Center
Democrats searching for a silver lining will doubtless note the distrust also applies to Republicans.
But face it: Democrats believe in government action. Republicans say government can do nothing right.
And Democrats should ask: What has government done the last decade to give Americans confidence? Iraq
Well, yes, the economy. Remember September 2008? People genuinely feared that the bottom was falling out in America
But the federal government – both parties – stepped in, bailed out the sinking ship and avoided a depression.
If there had been a depression, people would be looking to government for help. Instead, people forgot how bad it all looked then – or got mad at what was done.
Because Democrats control Congress and the White House and because Democrats are the “government” party, the Pew poll is one more warning sign for November.
Perfect storm, indeed.
The Trust Deficit
April 20, 2010/
It’s bad news for Democrats when only 22 percent of Americans say they trust government.
That number comes from a Pew Research Center
Democrats searching for a silver lining will doubtless note the distrust also applies to Republicans.
But face it: Democrats believe in government action. Republicans say government can do nothing right.
And Democrats should ask: What has government done the last decade to give Americans confidence? Iraq
Well, yes, the economy. Remember September 2008? People genuinely feared that the bottom was falling out in America
But the federal government – both parties – stepped in, bailed out the sinking ship and avoided a depression.
If there had been a depression, people would be looking to government for help. Instead, people forgot how bad it all looked then – or got mad at what was done.
Because Democrats control Congress and the White House and because Democrats are the “government” party, the Pew poll is one more warning sign for November.
Perfect storm, indeed.