This isn’t good:
Members of Congress and lobbyists are among the professionals who have the lowest honesty and ethical standards, according to a new poll.
Only 6 percent of people in the United States rate lobbyists as having “high” or “very high” honesty and ethical standards, according to a Gallup poll released Monday. Lobbyists received the lowest rating out of 22 professions.
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill came in second to last, with only 8 percent of the public saying they have high standards.
Their low rating reflects the low approval rating, 9 percent, lawmakers received in a Gallup poll in November.
This is one area where the public would actually have a better opinion of politicians and lobbyists if they paid more attention to what goes on.
I don’t think Congress is filled with people with particularly low ethical standards. At least, not when compared to, say, Wall Street or Hollywood or the gas industry.
This level of cynicism about government helps the Republicans and the oligarchs.
What does anyone expect?
The Republicans, even before Reagan, told people that big government doesn’t work – and they’ve spent the past 40+ years, making it so.
Then President Clinton solidified it with his “the era of big government is over” speech.
This is where state and Congressional District polling could present a more accurate idea of people’s sentiment.
There is a lot of “I hate Congress” but “my member of Congress is OK” hidden in there.
And the members of Congress and lobbyists who have derailed the public will deserve the opprobium. And no, I’m not going to cut Chuck Schumer slack on his support of Wall Street or Kay Hagan for unquestioningly supporting PhRMA and the bankers or Mary Landrieu’s and Joe Manchin’s ostrich behavior on global climate change. Or the folks who are in hock to Monsanto. And that’s just on the Dem side.
But some Republicans are so corrupt that when the lobbyists buy them they don’t stay bought; they offer themselves to a competing lobbyist.
This level of cynicism about government helps the Republicans and the oligarchs.
Ain’t that the truth.
I find this deeply disturbing because, now that the unions have been crushed and demonized, the government is the only institution that has the power and authority to stand up to organized capital. As you suggest, throwing away this tool for the sake of a feel-good cheap cynicism is the dumbest thing since the Hawley Smoot Tariff.
We all know that excessive concentration of political power is a BAD THING because as American’s the idea is in our political DNA. Espousing the contrary idea that insufficient concentration of political power is a bad thing gets you tarred & feathered & ridden out of town on a rail; espousing the parallel idea that excessive concentration of economic power is a BAD THING gets you a free vacation in the loonie bin.
Paul Ryan made some debt limit default noises against today.
People are busy working and living. What 3-5 sources would you advise people to be using for their information? The dominant corporate media outlets are a disaster and most Americans haven’t gotten the word yet that journalism is dead.
And when they get some free time in the evening, are people going to want to watch the sausage being made on C-Span? Bunch of people taking turns talking Congress-speak procedural gobbledegook, usually before an empty chamber.
If we had actual debates in Congress, more along the lines of the dynamic Prime Minister’s Questions in the Brit Parliament, I suspect C-Span’s ratings would shoot up. But no, over here we only get blowhard pols speechifying knowing they will not be challenged. And arcane procedural rules that further muddy and gum up the process.
Good example. There are so many methods of delivering misinformation into the media mix, that finding solid facts gets harder.
In my other comment here I gave a URL for an interview. At about minute 40 Leibovich starts to skewer Washington media insiders. The video is worth watching.
This level of cynicism about government helps the Republicans and the oligarchs.
Don’t let Democrats off the hook. You’ve seen the Murray-Ryan budget deal, right? Great job, Democrats!!
Has anybody read the Leibovich book, “This Town”? What do you think?
Bill Moyers interviewed him. A lot of gem quotes there, like “Cowardice is rewarded every step of the way.” or :
http://billmoyers.com/episode/encore-americas-gilded-capital/
Welp, things have to change from the inside, ultimately.
Ultimately, we need a new Constitution. Not that we can’t copy/paste the decent parts over, but yes, we need a new one.
For a demonstration of how out of tune our current one is, see: History, American, 1789 – Present.
I’m surprised that 6% of the population actually are lobbyists. Because that’s the only explanation for their approval numbers.