When I think of pre-Revolutionary America I tend to think of the Boston Tea Party, not the one sparked by CNBC’s Rick Santelli. But pollster Pat Caddell is suggesting that Americans have again reached a “pre-revolutionary” state of mind, based on alarming new polling data showing that just 17% of Americans believe that the U.S. Government “has the consent of the governed.”
That’s a little dramatic, I’d say. Count me in that 83%, but don’t expect me to reach for a pitchfork. Like other Americans, I plan to do my fighting at the polls or on a word processor. Besides, we are fighting ourselves this time. We have no one else to blame. We are the ones who put these guys in office. Again, we are the ones we’ve been looking for.
Most pollsters and political scientists know how little most folks know about American politics and governed. I seriously question (and not in an elitist way) if those polled really understand the concept of “consent of the governed.”
I meant “and government.” Look who is so damn smart now.
Good point. Do you have boilerplate on it? I can update the link to include that. Thanks.