Increasingly, voters feel the people who represent them in Washington
are ignoring what truly motivates and frustrates them. When Washington talks about the economy and
jobs – the top concerns to voters for five years now – they talk about “job
creators” and the unemployed. But the
vast majority of American households are headed by jobholders.
Working Americans worry about inflation more than
immigration. They are focused more on
food and fuel costs than on fiscal cliffs.
They worry more about retiring in good shape, than about regulating
guns. You would not know that, however,
in the parallel universe that is Washington.
One reason for the disconnect: Politicians use polls and focus groups to
help then win elections, but not to govern.
They listen most when they need votes; that is, roughly every two to
four years.
The same week the president, in his State of the Union
address, asked Congress to spend billions on climate change, transportation,
the minimum wage, and more, a Fox News poll showed that 73 percent of Americans
believe less government spending will help the economy grow. Only 15 percent thought more government
spending is the answer.
Congress meanwhile, drones on about drones. It continuously issues continuing
resolutions. And the GOP absorbs all of
the baggage of being viewed as the party of morality and values. Yet a February 7-10 Gallup poll found that
ethical and religious decline ranked higher as a top concern than many issues the
Beltway favors, such as immigration, national security, Social Security,
poverty, gay rights, and terrorism.
Education is another issue that seems conspicuous by its
absence. Some 53 percent of Americans
told Gallup last year that they are dissatisfied with the quality of K-12
education. According to the Board
Education Foundation, 75 percent of students are not proficient in civics, 3
out of 4 eighth graders cannot write proficiently, and the dropout rate for
African-America and Hispanic students is 40 percent.
That data point should raise the eyebrows of a Republican Party
struggling to connect with minorities.
Not all the nation’s problems are economic. What ails Americans cannot fit neatly into a sound
bite or an executive order.Congress has a 14 percent approval rating. Some 62 million voters cast ballots against Obama last year. These numbers are not just indictments of job performance. They are an indication that ordinary folks are worried that no one is really listening to them anymore.
