It is worthwhile giving some thought to the role that trust plays in a democracy. Ideally, democracy can be defined as a form of government where all eligible voters have an equal say in determining policy, how they will be governed, and the laws that will be enacted, with the will of the majority being followed. In addition, the rights of minorities will be protected. America is a republic, or a representative form of democracy, where the people elect the legislative and executive officeholders to carry out their wishes.
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Inherent in the democratic process are bonds of trust that must exist between the voters and their representatives, among the parties that organize the candidates on the basis of policy choices, and the citizens and their governments. If these bonds are severed, voters become cynical and apathetic, and less willing to participate in the democratic process, as they feel they are being deceived. And government becomes increasingly dysfunctional. In America, trust between the electorate and those elected to office, and between the two major parties that control the government, and among the officeholders who have been elected, has vanished, shown by low public approval ratings for Congress and the political parties.
Another significant metric that points to this disconnect between the electorate and government at all levels is the percentage of voters that participate in the nation’s elections. In presidential years, the rate is about 60 percent and in mid-term elections it’s generally below 40 percent. This proportion of citizens voting is lower than that of any of the advanced industrial democracies.
Many citizens do not vote because they believe their votes are meaningless, or they vote out of a sense of obligation not really caring who wins. They see the huge sums that affluent citizens, special interests, and lobbyists contribute to the campaigns of the parties and the candidates, and know that money talks and that their voices will not be heard. So why should they give a damn? Citizens also see the tenor of the campaign ads on both sides with negative attacks, lies, and half-truths, as the candidates, Super PACs and 501(c)(4) organizations do or say anything in attempts to harvest votes. Can citizens trust the candidates that run these ads, believing they will govern ethically and with the interests of the middle-class majority at heart? Only if the citizens are blind, deaf, and brain-damaged. The majority of Americans would like immigration reform, tax reform, and background checks on gun sales, but their elected representatives ignore the wishes of the majority on these issues as well as on many others.
The voters also recognize the hostility and conflict between the two parties and the lack of trust between them, both in Washington and on a state level. This Congress has passed the fewest bills and been the least productive of any Congress in history. Some Republicans have stated openly that their main job was to prevent President Obama from being successful, not in working with the president for the good of the country. And with Republicans blocking the appointments of federal judges, candidates for federal agencies, and subcabinet posts by Obama, Senate Democrats took the nuclear option and confirmed the appointments by simple majorities instead of the sixty votes that had previously been necessary. Dysfunction and lack of trust. You bet!
And how can citizens trust their government when they hear of the scandals and mismanagement affecting government agencies like the VA, the CDC, the IRS, the Secret Service, and programs like the Affordable Care Act. So where do things go from here? Can we expect them to get better? Will citizens trust the candidates and parties and will the parties trust each other? Not likely. The Republicans will definitely retain control of the House and are predicted to take over the Senate as well in this election. Whether or not that happens will probably make no difference in how the government in Washington functions. There will not be enough votes for the Republicans to overcome a presidential veto, so the only way bills can be passed is if compromises are reached between the Republican leadership in Congress and the president. With the right-wing Tea Partiers nipping at Boehner and McConnell’s heels, the chances for compromise are small. Trust remains a victim of the democratic system.
In the future, either more centrist Republicans and Democrats willing to work for the nation are needed, or a new centrist third party that would be trusted and garner significant support among voters according to the polls. America cannot continue on its current path.
Resurrecting Democracy
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Ron Chusid says
So much of this distrust is being intentionally spread by Republicans as part of their strategy.
“And how can citizens trust their government when they hear of the
scandals and mismanagement affecting government agencies like the VA,
the CDC, the IRS, the Secret Service, and programs like the Affordable
Care Act.”
The VA problems are real, but that also ignores all the good that they do in providing health care to veterans. The CDC has done an excellent job while Republicans distort the science to create hysteria about Ebola. The IRS scandal turned out to be a Republican creation. IRS agents had to deal with poorly written law which attempts to distinguish between political and non-political activities by political organizations, and has applied equal scrutiny to both sides. There were a few high profile mistakes by the Secret Service, but all in all they are doing a good job with no successful attacks on a president since Reagan. The ACA had some inexcusable computer glitches initially but these were quickly fixed, and since then the ACA has been doing even better than predicted by supporters.
Government does have problems working due to distrust–but the problem is distrust created by Republicans and obstruction caused by Republicans.
“In the future, either more centrist Republicans and Democrats willing to
work for the nation are needed, or a new centrist third party:
It is a problem that the Republicans have driven out their centrists. However there are plenty of centrists and conservatives among the Democrats. Generally when I see someone push for a centrist political party, if they ever specify what policies such a centrist party would promote it comes quite close to what the Democrats are supporting.
The problems is that we have one centrist party and one extremist party which thrives on obstructionism, so they can then say that they are right and government doesn’t work. In reality, where government doesn’t work it is very frequently due to actions by Republicans.
JSpencer says
“So much of this distrust is being intentionally spread by Republicans as part of their strategy.”
Just imagine for a moment a republican party not invested in spreading mistrust, fear, and disinformation…
I know, it’s hard.
dduck12 says
Just imagine a leader, Dem or Rep, in the WH. I know it’s hard, since most are hacks and or, high school president wannabes.
sheknows says
The Republicans do the man-sized share of eroding trust in the government, but Democrats aren’t exactly innocent either. NSA, drones, sending troops to Afghanistan, continuing to give Wall street a pass, etc etc.
If this whole thing operated on the principle of trust, we would all be living in a Mad Max movie. The trust shipped sailed a long while ago, but Americans still have hope…and they vote for whoever makes the most promises or exposes the failings of the opposition best.