By: Colleen O’Connor
San Diego: SDNN Opinion
A CBS News/New York Times poll in early February found 81 percent of those polled, saying it’s time to elect new people to Congress, with just eight percent saying most members deserve re-election.
This generated lots of surprise among the chattering class.
A kinder, gentler poll by CNN reports that 63 percent oppose most members of Congress getting reelected.
And rather surprising, only one year into his first term, President Obama’s re-elections is opposed by 52 percent.
Small wonder that Sarah Palin enjoyed a rock star reception at the Daytona 500 races last weekend. She represents “none of the above.”
Even Evan Bayh, no radical, blasted away his colleagues in Congress, complaining that there was “too much brain dead partisanship.”
The anti-incumbency, the throw the bums out-mood is now a third party threatening to happen.
I believe I know some of the reasons why.
The short version:
1. Congress’ health care is better than your health care and you pay for theirs, but can’t afford yours.
2. Their salary is bigger than yours and your job is either gone or at risk. Why shouldn’t theirs be too?
3. They don’t answer your calls, but you must answer their calls to serve in the military, pay more taxes to pay for bank bailouts, a failing stimulus, bonuses for the greedy.
4. Because the incumbents of both parties are tone deaf, blind, and/or incapable of compassion. Read: Home foreclosures still escalating. Jobs still disappearing. Taxes (disguised as fees, revenue enhancements, or off-balance sheet items) still multiplying. Government expanding.
5. Because few, if any, of the scoundrels who caused the current economic nightmare have been fired, arrested, jailed or even identified.
6. Because you never see any political incumbents at the 99 Cent Store, the Goodwill, or the Salvation Army Thrift Shop.
7. Because they don’t read the bills before they vote on them but then jail us if we don’t abide by them.
8. Because they practice the politics of ridicule and not the politics of conscience.
Read more at SDNN
