Rasmussen and the Wall Street Journal both released results of polls that seemingly are not related, until one looks a bit beneath the surface.
Rasmussen reports that 8% of voters surveyed “always vote for the Republican candidate & 10% always vote for the Democratic candidate” and “fifty percent (50%) of U.S. voters have voted for an independent candidate at least once in their life,” 41% have not and 9% are “not sure”. That’s only 18% that “always vote” for one of two major party candidates, even though 32% agree the “that Republicans and Democrats are so much alike that an entirely new party is needed to represent the American people.”
The Wall Street Journal released results of a Pew Research survey that shows “58% say Uncle Sam is interfering too much in state and local affairs” and overall “trust in government is at an “historic low” of only 22%.”
At first glance these are unrelated surveys, until one realized the Republicratic duopoly controls the government. It is only natural that people who are becoming more distrustful of the government would also become distrustful of the parties that control the government. WSJ also reports, “A Quinnipiac poll released yesterday has the Obama presidential approval rating down to 44%…
He insists on more government. People want less, and don’t trust what they’ve got. They want reform. Here’s the Pew blowout data:
In 1994 when the Democrats lost over 50 House seats at mid-term, the party’s favorable rating was 62%, and for the Congress they controlled it was 53%. They still got killed. Now the party’s favorable is 38% and Congress’s approval is 25%. The Republicans’ numbers are low, too, but they’re not in charge.
The Democratic Party is on the edge of an electoral cliff with a long fall to the bottom. No wonder they’re seeing a demon under every bed.”
I’d like to think people will continue this healthy distrust of government and major party politics and actually vote for alternative party candidates and begin working outside of the system towards a smaller government and possibly a stateless society. However, I’m more of a realist than optimist and realize that this fall over 90% of incumbent Congressmen seeking re-election will keep “their” seats and in the end, no much will change.