It’s time for a cease-fire. Not just in the Middle East (although that would be good). It is time for a cease-fire in Washington. As Congress returns from its August break, it needs to break with tradition and get off the hyper-partisanship that is ripping the country apart. Whether you are a Democrat, a Republican, a member of the Libertarian party, the Tea Party, the Green Party, the Green Tea Party or no party at all, it is time for a timeout on bashing the president, Congress, politicians and the media.
Recent polls tell us that Americans are unhappy and under-confident in their country. According to a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll, optimism in America is at a low point. When asked “if life for our children’s generation will be better than it has been for us,” 76 percent — more than three-quarters of respondents — said they do not share that optimism. Only 21 percent held the confident view, the lowest in the history of that poll question. The same question was asked in 1990 and a full half of respondents felt optimistic.
More interestingly, the poll results are consistent regardless of income, gender, race, geography, etc. This is not an urban or rural problem. It defies income or class. It is not a male or female issue. Religion plays no part in the equation. If anything, “faith” is just plain low. Depression, it seems, is an equal opportunity offender.
{mosads}At the root of the problem is a persistent distrust of government — especially Congress. A recent poll from NBC News and Marist College reflects the growing disgust of Americans for Congress. The survey shows that just 22 percent of people would describe Congress as at least “somewhat productive,” while 74 percent say it has been at least “somewhat unproductive.” Half of Americans say Congress has been “very unproductive,” and only 3 percent say it has been “very productive.”
Gallup polls consistently show Congress’s approval rating hovering around an all-time low — most recently at 15 percent. Another Gallup poll showed that just 7 percent of Americans say they have “a great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in Congress. Half (50 percent) said they have “very little” confidence in their lawmakers. About seven in 10 Americans (69 percent) say they don’t want most members of Congress reelected, according to a recent Pew Research Center poll. An additional 36 percent say they don’t want their own representative reelected. Both of those are the highest in the past two decades.
Here’s something really interesting. The pessimism crisis enveloping federal lawmakers dates to 2006 — before the recession. Eight years ago, before President Obama was president, the percentage of people who doubted that life would be better for the next generation was already rising: 65 percent as compared with today’s 75 percent. That is good news for Democrats because it means that the blame is not squarely on Obama (although his poll numbers are not good.) It is also good news for Republicans, because if they read the polls correctly, they do not need to spend money bashing the president, because it is not building any confidence in government.
The bad news is for Americans. For the most part, we are an upbeat people — and we want to believe in a positive view of America.
What both parties (and all parties) have to do is take a few months, before the adrenaline rush of November elections, to pause and ponder.
At a time of conflict overseas from Afghanistan to Africa, from the Middle East to the Mexican border, only our enemies profit from America-bashing. It is quaint to think that “all politics is local,” but when other nations and extremist groups see America at odds with itself, they exploit the divisions. It is equally quaint to think that “politics stops at the water’s edge” but we are over the edge and over a cliff in terms of U.S. confidence in itself, let alone the world.
So let’s vow to leave vengeance to be practiced by our true enemies and let peace reign at home.
Sonenshine is former under secretary of State for public diplomacy and public affairs. She teaches at George Washington University and a frequent contributor to The Hill.