dmitchell
07-03-2007, 02:38 AM
GOP Made Whole Country Sour on Gov't (http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2007/07/gop_made_whole_country_sour_on.html)
Surrounding a fairly vapid discussion of the immigration debacle, the author writes:
The defeat last week of the immigration bill is the most obvious manifestation of how economic anxiety and a loss of faith in the federal government's competence have conspired to make it far easier for politicians to say "no" than "yes," to reject compromise on difficult questions, and to assume that voters will respond to big initiatives with mistrust.
The skepticism about government is currently directed against Bush, against conservatives and against Republicans. But this should give Democrats little comfort. As Democratic pollster Stanley Greenberg argues in the current issue of The American Prospect, "there is a perverse consequence brought about by the scale of conservatives' failure."
The problem, Greenberg says, "is that conservatives have failed in ways that have undermined Americans' sense of collective capacity. Their failure has communicated not just their own incompetence, but also the message that government in general is incompetent.
"By failing so dramatically," Greenberg continues, "conservatives have created a significant roadblock for Democrats: They have undermined people's faith in the very instrument that we as progressives want to use to solve problems."
The belief that government action is futile ultimately killed the immigration bill, and it could block large-scale reform efforts for a long time to come. A cranky nation rarely undertakes great tasks, especially when achieving them demands a degree of trust, and hope.
Ron Paul is striking while the iron is hot. His message of scaling back government should have broad appeal this election cycle. Newt Gingrich has been saying for months that the federal government is broken at every level. Republicans and especially Democrats and are going to have a heard time selling more government to the people. This is a golden opportunity for small government conservatives and libertarians.
Surrounding a fairly vapid discussion of the immigration debacle, the author writes:
The defeat last week of the immigration bill is the most obvious manifestation of how economic anxiety and a loss of faith in the federal government's competence have conspired to make it far easier for politicians to say "no" than "yes," to reject compromise on difficult questions, and to assume that voters will respond to big initiatives with mistrust.
The skepticism about government is currently directed against Bush, against conservatives and against Republicans. But this should give Democrats little comfort. As Democratic pollster Stanley Greenberg argues in the current issue of The American Prospect, "there is a perverse consequence brought about by the scale of conservatives' failure."
The problem, Greenberg says, "is that conservatives have failed in ways that have undermined Americans' sense of collective capacity. Their failure has communicated not just their own incompetence, but also the message that government in general is incompetent.
"By failing so dramatically," Greenberg continues, "conservatives have created a significant roadblock for Democrats: They have undermined people's faith in the very instrument that we as progressives want to use to solve problems."
The belief that government action is futile ultimately killed the immigration bill, and it could block large-scale reform efforts for a long time to come. A cranky nation rarely undertakes great tasks, especially when achieving them demands a degree of trust, and hope.
Ron Paul is striking while the iron is hot. His message of scaling back government should have broad appeal this election cycle. Newt Gingrich has been saying for months that the federal government is broken at every level. Republicans and especially Democrats and are going to have a heard time selling more government to the people. This is a golden opportunity for small government conservatives and libertarians.