Public Mistrust
Democrats, especially our President, as well as the media, are stunned by the level of mistrust the country has toward them.
Why can’t we simply trust them on health care?
Sen. Claire McCaskill (D) of Missouri, who I applauded for her townhall meetings (which seemed authentic, unlike Obama’s), asked in retort to a questioner this week, “Don’t you trust me?” The answer from the crowd was a resounding, “NO!”
Frankly, they have no one to blame for this but themselves. For the past 8 years, they have attacked Washington and the Bush Administration. Some of those criticism were well-deserved; other were not. And Mr. Obama promised an era of change, with more openness and transparency.
The public believed him…and got more of the same.
Democrats and the White House knew how hard health care reform would be. That is the real reason they rushed the bill through Congress. They didn’t want to give the right, as in disarray as they were, time to form a coalescing uniform voice. And in fact, I would argue the right, until the past couple weeks, really still lacked a uniform voice.
But the revolt started slowly. First, you heard it with the way the stimulus, TARP II, and Cap-and-trade were handled. The votes were not open. There was no debate. In fact, many leaders openly admitted that they didn’t vote for some of the most expensive and transformative bills in American History.
The anger was simmering. And then came health care. And first it was rumors of things in the bill. And then, it was the reality of what was in the bill. And still, despite the growing voices, Congress and the Democrats moved ahead. To help save political face for Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi was able to at least get a bill through a critical committee in the House before the August recess, even though moderate Democrats admitted they still hadn’t had proper time to vet the bill.
The media has not helped matters. There practical deification of Obama during the election and inauguration caused an ‘Obama overload’. MSNBC has been more pro-Obama than the White House has. The media, with there elitist belief system, think the public was too stupid to notice the propaganda. They are wrong. Commentators like Chris Matthews, who one time were liberal but atleast rational, have lost all credibility. Frankly, the public doesn’t know who to trust…but knows they shouldn’t look to the media for any advice and information. For example, there have been many lies emanating from both the right and the left regarding health care protests, but how many liberal lies have you heard from media outlets? And it simply looks bad when outlets like the New York Times and NBC, to this very day, are selling t-shirts with Obama’s picture, with ‘Yes We Did!’ printed on them. That is not an unbiased media.
On top of that, there has been a lot of misinformation about health care from both sides. But Mr. Obama is supposed to be the expert, and when he screws things up it is blown to staggering proportions. For example, he stated yesterday that surgeons make upwards of $30,000 for amputating a leg. That was absurd en face. The AMA (which itself has a credibility problem) has been weak on the issue. However, the American College of Surgeons finally fought back, stating that on average a surgeon makes $600 for an amputation. That is a staggering mistake for the President, considering he is supposed to be the ‘expert’ that we allow to take care of us, because we are supposed to trust him. This came after Obama initially claimed doctors were performing tonsillectomies because they could make more money with those than traditional treatment. This further hampers the President’s credibility. I am not sure who people trust more, their doctors or the President, but I am willing to wager a fair amount that almost everyone trusts their doctor more than any other politician in the United States.
The Democrats and the media sold the American people a bill of goods last fall during the election…and now is time to pay up. And the public is starting to realize that the entire ‘Hope and Change’ message was more illusion than fact. And that, ultimately, is the deficit that Obama and Democrats will have to overcome if they want to pass their version of health care reform.
UPDATE: Just to prove my point: Rasmussen is showing that Republicans are now favored over Democrats on Health care for the first time in decades, 44%-41%. Actually, Republicans are favored on every major issue other than Iraq (ironically enough) where they are tied at 42%.
Well said! Hey FYI, go to World Net Daily and read today’s article about Van Jones, Osama bama’s appointee to the “Green Jobs” division! He is a self-proclaimed BLACK ACTIVIST AND COMMUNIST who worked for the Weather Underground (the group that was bombing all of the Federal Buildings in the 60′s)!
Also, GOOGLE OBAMA WOULD FAIL SECURITY CLEARANCE AND READ THE ARTICLE BY DANIEL PIPES- I personally checked out the info in this article and it is ALL TRUE!
WHERE IS THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA COVERAGE OF THIS?
THEY ARE BEING PAID OFF JUST LIKE MY 86 year old GRANDMA’S HOME COUNTRY OF COMMUNIST RUSSIA SO SHE TELLS ME! SHE KNOWS COMMUNISM BECAUSE SHE FLED FROM IT AND NOW SHE SAYS IT’S HERE!!!!
Well written, the dems vilified the republicans to an absurd level, the problem is to most American’s including myself – a politician is a politician. My mistrust started with the White House taking over the census bureau, was amplified by the GM bailout and well Gates pushed it over the top.
Obama lied through-out his entire campaign, perhaps it was naivety, of course we’re the fools for voting in a President with next to no track record, no experience. I do think Sarah Palin could do a better job and that isn’t saying much. I believe we do need health-care reform can’t be happy with the Pelosi-Obama methodology of vilifying opposition and closed door voting. They don’t even want to work with members of their own party with differing views.
If we could just get Pelosi out of public office, I’d gain respect for American voters.
Are you serious? This article is part of the problem that we are facing not just with health care reform but also with economic reform and social reform. This is a finger pointing article at the Democratic party solely. As though the Democrats have been running congress for the last 20 years. For the record, I am not a Democrat. Your article has a lot of play on words included. For example; on average a surgeon makes $600 for an amputation.” The surgeon himself solely will earn around $600 for a leg amputation at an hourly pay scale of $200 an hour. The hospital itself will charge $30,000 for the entire surgery. You are seperating what a doctor is paid for the surgery compared to the total costs of the surgery. My mother who lives far away is not able to cut her own toe nails due to medical problems. The doctor who she visits has always cut her toe nails during office visits. We just found out that the doctor charges $100 to my mother insurance company for cutting her toe nails. I recommended to my mother that maybe the nail place down the street from where she lives may be a lot cheaper. I don’t think that any of the protesting or opposition to health care reform is actually about health care. I feel that the Republican party members are upset that they are no longer in control. I know that if you were to do a poll on who the American public trusts the most, that Democrats would have a higher response than Republicans. I also know that if you were to poll the American public about the trust they have in our Congress that a very large percentage would say that they do not have trust in our congressional leaders. I feel that Democrats, or at least some, want to change that opinion in the public but, the negative tactics and misleading of the Republican party is putting a dark cloud above any and all attempts. Lastly, I commend President Obama for the transparency, openess, and the ability to admit that he made a mistake which we did not have in the previous 8 years. Heck, we are still finding out things that the former administration had done or attempted to do that the American public was completely unaware of. Most Americans do not realize that the previous president, President Bush, early in his first term had met with the then president of Mexico, Vincente Fox, to establish a new currency amongst northern and central American countries. President Bush new early on that our financial system had problems, but instead of fixing it before it broke Bush decided to go to war instead, in 2 countries at the same time. I still remeber the press conference where former President Bush stated that he did not know that the price of gas could go up as high as $4 dollars a gallon to the American consumer. Come on! Bush, a former oil businessman himself and then President of the United States – with access to all sorts of information, had no idea until asked at a press conferance. We now, as one country, owe over $60 trillion dollars to other countries. What was that money spent on? Where did it go? Who can account for it? And, this happened with a Republican president and 7 of those 8 years with a Republican majority in Congress and in the House of Representative. Sen. John McCain, himself, has stated, even during presidential debates that the Republican party during its days as the majority allowed spending to get out of control. What this country is lacking the most is unity. A country divided will accomplish nothing.
No, I am pointing fingers at Democrats because the media won’t. Republicans deserve some blame, to be sure…but they don’t control anything in Washington: not the White House, Senate, or House. So Democrats deserve most of the blame.
Obama specifically mentioned only the surgeon…he is factually incorrect. He has done this many times. If he admits his mistake, I will take back my statement.
I am sure you are right about the polls. I don’t trust republicans either. But frankly, that is irrelevant, since Repubs are only a small minority in Congress.
Democrats are now pushing reconciliation for passage of health care. That is DIVIDING THE COUNTRY. Will you stand up against that? If so, I have respect for you. If not, sir, you are just as much of the problem as those you criticize.
I believe everyone wanted the change in how Washington was working or not working. Though I never believed it could come from Obama I can understand all the frustration from everyone towards all politicians. Why wouldn’t there be?!?
Reconciliation as suggested by Senator Schumer is a huge problem and helps cause all the problems between everyone by attempting to ram something through few understand, fewer have read and all at the expense of the taxpayers.
As for the left right thing: let us agree to disagree. No matter what ones posts the other says “no, liar, extremist!”
I don’t for an instant believe that most people want decency for their fellow citizens. However, no one likes the arrogance of calling people stupid and nazis because they have the nerve to disagree.
Healthcare has some issues but I would like our representatives to fix what is already broken before instituting a new program. Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid are all in need of serious work. For that matter with identity theft it would be prudent for the people who issue our identity to get tough on those who would steal it.
Amazingly written. I can see where the distrust in Government is. Well not so much government as politicians. I believe that we already have the systems in place, they just need fixing. No one is blaming anyone – they are all the same – they are politicians – and every last one of them is out for yours and mine. They are only concerned with what they can get while the getting is good. Where did the Democracy in this country go. We have been fighting the same war for decades, and there is one solution to that (give Palistine back). People who are siding with just one side of the issue without really knowing fully what is going on are just plain ignorant. There are two sides to this issue – big sides – YES THE (DEMS AND SOME REP)ARE RIGHT IT DOES NEED FIXING -BUT THEY NEED TO GO ABOUT IT THE RIGHT WAY. Instead of turning it into something that is going to need fixing in the next ten or five years.
And hey Jack – maybe you don’t know Jack – there are a lot of reasons for people to have, mistrust in their government officials. How about the 73trillion dollar PROFIT that the oil companies received last year – which took money straight out of the pockets of every American tax payer – How about “every” state raising their taxes to pay for the recession – while families are still losing their homes. How about New Orleans??? I guarantee that there will be more aid going to rebuilding a separate countries misfortunes (IT IS HURRICANE SEASON) before we see Katrina built again. How about the billions of dollars that they gave away??? – How about the “bailout” money that went towards bonuses? How about the fact that there are so many illegal immigrants in this country, our language is being taken over – and the fact that they find that their illegal and offer them a safe haven out in CA, where an average of 315 million dollars is spent yearly to HOUSE ILLEGALS — (ILLEGALS being the keyword here – race age sex it doesnt matter they are ILLEGAL) — how about the fact that there is so much wasteful spending of tax dollars that they are consistently asking for more. How about the corruption that you see plastered on the NEWS (even CNN) about dirty politicians and their dirty hands – and the dirty money in Wall Street. How about the fact that congressional leaders can participate in insider trading without prosecution or conviction – or how about the fact that we were just handed BUZZ words throughout the campaign – and that “change” was coming —
How about the fact that the Obama administration (Obama’s promise) that there would be no pork barreling or very little earmarks on any bills signed, and there were over 5000 in just the first “Stimulus” package.
And how about the fact that we have the means to pull ourselves out of this rut now and nothing is being done. How about it.
Also a bit of my information came from PolitiFact – check it out and look how many “promises” were kept and if your “leaders” are actually telling the truth. — How about it?
Nice job on the article. If there was someone to trust – I’d be there.
I have no idea why Obama didn’t appoint Gore to his head of Green Energy – He is an expert after all.
Complete silliness. Not a single comment about the insane ‘behavior’ of Fox News, or Sarah Palin’s totally unsubstantiated claims of a ‘Death Panel’. Seriously, many people on the left want to take you seriously, but when you fail to honestly and openly discuss the failures of the right, how can any objective thinker take you seriously?
The TV networks run that stuff 24/7: I don’t feel a need to repeat it. I don’t care what Palin thinks…she is just a private citizen. I do care what our politicians think, like Pelosi basically inferring that protesters were Nazis and Unamerican…much more important. Harry Reid today called them evil. Are we supposed to take politicians on the left seriously when they say such stupid things? You don’t hear that on mainstream TV today though.
If people on the left want to be taken seriously, I advise them to listen to left, right, and nonpartisan sources, and then make their own opinion. I am not hear to tell you what to think. I am here to tell you my logic and reason…you can take it and reject it as you wish. That is free speech at its best.
Neovatora………..my sentiments…..exactly!!! Thank you for your conciseness and rationality!
Thank you for reading.
Better count those zeros again, Victoria, because $73T is one healthy profit, even for those “evil” oil companies. Just seems a bit high, by a factor of 50 or so.
Exxon made a record profit of $40B last year, and that was by investing their own money. It didn’t come “straight from the pockets of taxpayers.” You want to talk about mistrust? Bush and Obama teamed up to spend nearly twice that, around $70B, just to bail out GM. That money WAS taken straight out of the pockets of American taxpayers.
And now, even though Obama “doesn’t want to run an car company”, he is handing out another pile of tax dollars, $4500, to everyone who will buy a car from him.
Perhaps its just me, but I’m guessing this is as good an example as any why nobody should ever trust a politician. I have found a sure-fire way to tell when one is lying: You can see their lips moving.
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Cheers! Sandra. R.