MURDER, POLITICS, AND THE END OF THE JAZZ AGE
by Michael Wolraich
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New Poll Finds a Deep Distrust of Government
By AmericanDreamer on Wed, 10/26/2011 - 3:08pm |Jeff Zelany and Megan Thee-Brenan, yesterday's NYT.
artappraiser a week or so ago responded to my wondering out loud about why, with substantial majorities supporting progressive positions on most major public issues, we don't have more progressive policies in the U.S. by saying, in effect, Americans don't trust or believe their government(s) will get it right.
Hmmm....majorities of us want progressive policy changes. But...we don't think our government will get it right. Maybe we would trust...someone or something else?...to get it right?
I imagine a modified Willie Sutton (Q: Why do you rob banks? Willie: Because that's where the money is.)-type question:
Q: Why do you want government to adopt more progressive public policies?
A: Because that's who adopts public policies.
The issue, then, isn't whether majorities want more progressive policies or not. Majorities do. The issue is who/what would make and implement the policies, and would they do it right or would they screw it up?
URL:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/26/us/politics/poll-finds-anxiety-on-the-economy-fuels-volatility-in-the-2012-race.html
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Comments
The Times' print edition today sums up the poll with these headlines:
NEW POLL FINDS A DEEP DISTRUST OF GOVERNMENT/
ANXIETY OVER THE ECONOMY/
Concentration of Wealth Seen As Key Issue in A Volatile Time
On the website for "Today's Paper" this link is also stressed:
Graphic: Americans’ Approval of Congress Drops to Single Digits
Both, I think, help clarify what the poll is about.
As to my opinion, I don't really see your confusion now, as it is the heart of many of the Occupy protests that government has not been working as it is supposedly in control of "the 1%." Hence lots of emphasis by protest participants about not wanting to be associated with either political party. And suprisingly high support in other polls nationwide about this.
In the past, I didn't see your confusion, as I don't know how anyone can read in the liberal/progressive blogophere of the past 5 or more years and not see continuous distrust of government. I've joked about it but I also mean it. Vocal liberals and progressives are just as negative about the Federal government, if not more so, than righties, though they protest they like some theoretical government, they surely don't like the current one or any of the recent past. (For example, they are the ones on TPM's many sites razzing the active Democratic party types.) Sure many talk "government is good" in the general, but as far as I've seen, except for Social Security, Medicare and food stamps, liberal/progressive blogs are pretty negative about the federal government, that it does little right. The blog posts supportive of any government action are few and far between and often heavily attacked..
by artappraiser on Wed, 10/26/2011 - 4:05pm
In trying to understand potential voting and public opinion interpretation implications of public trust in government, or lack thereof, it makes sense to me to try to tease out more precise understandings of what they are mistrustful of--current policies (as perceived, of course), or perceptions of governmental incompetence even in carrying out policies which look good to them "on paper" or "sound good". Although they can overlap or be difficult to distinguish, I see those as two different bases of mistrust, with potentially different implications.
Many progressives who are dissatisfied because they think federal policies are not progressive enough also believe the government capable of pursuing more progressive policies which it decides to adopt more or less competently and honestly. Their "distrust" is less about "good policy, bad execution"--perceived low capabilities and levels of competence and honesty of the government as an entity carrying out or implementing otherwise reasonable or good policies (reflected, for example, in B Clinton's remark "I know many people think the government would screw up a one-car parade")--as it is about the substance of current governmental policies ("bad policies"). Others who might also give the government low "trust" marks may, when they're responding to a survey question, be wondering why they have to spend 6 hours and take time off from work to obtain title and vehicle reg docs for the car they just bought, or whatever.
The oft-asked poll question "Do you trust the government to do the right thing all or most of the time?" might be interpreted as getting at either, or both, of these types of "distrust".
by AmericanDreamer on Wed, 10/26/2011 - 5:22pm
I understand what you are saying but I think you overdo the policies thing, basing your thoughts on majority agreement about a few big programs.
If the blogosphere has taught me anything, you bring up most federal policy with specifics, it's like herding cats. Go through the alphabet soup of Federal agencies, tell me where you see clear majority support on policies--you won't, you'll just get a plethora of different arguments on FDA, CIA, FBI, Treasury, DOD, DOJ, HUD, Labor, Interior, IRS, Immigration, etc. etc. etc. And often as not, the arguments don't even break along party lines. There is no consistent support for most government programs. Perhaps because information-wise, this is not FDR's 1930's with all the input coming from the Fireside chats; once people look into the specifics of any federal policy, many find lots to disagree with. They extrapolate from there. Just as often as not, the more people know, the more they find to dislike.
Personally, I always thought Bill Clinton's 2nd term approval rating was a miraculous thing, somehow he got this just right, where only the 1/3 conservative hated what he was doing. I felt at the time it was something we will never see again in my lifetime, and still do.
by artappraiser on Wed, 10/26/2011 - 6:26pm
I might have been unclear. I meant to refer to the results of public opinion surveys that seek to get at peoples' values and attitudes and general policy orientations, somewhat less so when it comes to specific policies, and much less so when it comes to specific programs other than SS and Medicare (at the federal level, that is).
If your point is that disagreement on particulars trumps agreement on the broader purposes and aggregate or overall effects of proposed policies, well, sometimes it does, of course. I think collective action problems are an important part of the discrepency between what majorities say they value and want and think is right, versus many of the policies we end up getting. That is because organized minorities very often can get their way over unorganized majorities. There are other factors I would offer; that's one that comes to mind.
by AmericanDreamer on Wed, 10/26/2011 - 6:37pm
Pew has a new one out with WaPo:
Despite Pew's attempt to stress the negatives number, it appears that the forever 1/3 conservative are with us as always, now still supporting the Tea Party. I am guessing as those with some strong anti-current-government feelings have somewhere else to go now, that they may have been open to some things about the Tea Party in the past, now feel freer to be negative about the Tea Party's shortcomings?
by artappraiser on Wed, 10/26/2011 - 5:55pm