Didn't he work for Bush? Sent from my iPhone
On Oct 12, 2011, at 19:39, "David R. Block" <[email protected]> wrote: > Curious how McKinnon, well known in Texas as a DEMOCRAT, is billed as a > Republican by Politico. > > David > > "Anyone who thinks he has a better idea of what's good for people than people > do is a swine."--P. J. O’Rourke > > On 10/12/2011 2:40 PM, [email protected] wrote: >> >> >> If the parties won't solve problems >> By: Mark McKinnon >> October 12, 2011 02:04 PM EDT >> >> Support for the two major political parties in America is hemorrhaging. It’s >> not hard to see why. >> >> The politerati point to the 1992 presidential campaign as the last time >> public dissatisfaction with the political environment was so pervasive that >> a disruption to the status quo was even possible. Third-party independent >> candidate Ross Perot briefly led incumbent President George H.W. Bush and >> challenger Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton. If he had maintained credibility, >> Perot might well have won. >> >> But discontent today is far deeper. In 1992, just 39 percent of the public >> was dissatisfied with government. Today, a record high 81 percent is >> dissatisfied. Satisfaction has plummeted from 59 percent to just 19 percent. >> We are in uncharted waters. >> >> If we were ripe for disruption in 1992, today most Americans must be damn >> close to grabbing their pitchforks and storming the barricades of the >> nation’s capital. King George was more beloved. >> >> This thirst for dramatic change isn’t just Republican voters unhappy with >> the Obama administration’s policies. Democratic guru James Carville told >> CNN’s Erin Burnett last week: “There is a real yearning for something >> different in this country. It is going to produce something, I have no idea >> what, but something is coming here, I promise you.” >> >> What accounts for this dramatic shift? Obviously, there is deep concern >> about a terrible economy and long, costly foreign conflicts. But there is >> something more dangerous: a fundamental breakdown in trust in government. >> >> We send our representatives to Washington to fix problems. Yet every day >> offers examples of opportunities lost. We’ve gone from statesmanship to >> brinksmanship. Compromise means victory for the opposing party. Consensus >> means the loss of political leverage. And scoring political points seems >> more important than progress on policy. >> >> Americans now have largely negative views of both parties. The public sees >> little difference between the effectiveness of either party when it comes to >> tackling the economy. And only 9 percent of likely voters rate Congress’ >> performance as good or excellent. >> >> Republicans in Congress refuse tax increases, labeling them job-killing. >> (It’s hard to negotiate when you’ve signed a pledge, as most Republicans and >> a few Democrats have, binding you to no new taxes and linking subsidy >> elimination to rate decreases.) Democrats refuse spending cuts, also >> labeling them job-killing. >> >> Yet, by a 2-to-1 margin, Americans support doing both, increasing taxes and >> cutting spending. [ BF emphasis added ] >> >> Unable to negotiate the policy changes necessary to avert the next financial >> crisis, Congress has deferred responsibility to a supercommittee. If an >> agreement is not reached there, automatic and dramatic across-the-board cuts >> kick in. The public is not hopeful: 74 percent think the committee will not >> reach agreement. >> >> Voters feel increasingly disenfranchised. No party represents them. Fringe >> groups with microphones dominate the conversation. Super PACs with unlimited >> funding exert unlimited influence. Powerful political advocacy groups skirt >> disclosure rules. >> >> I helped co-found No Labels to fight back against the hyper-partisanship and >> special interests now holding the system hostage. What we hear from voters >> is they want members of Congress to put their labels aside — and work >> together. >> >> Often it’s not policy outcomes that are problematic — the very nature of the >> debate is contributing to the loss of confidence. [ BF emphasis added ] >> >> The debt-ceiling debate caused the consumer confidence index to collapse to >> its fourth lowest level since first measured in 1952, according to the >> pollster Bill McInturf,. The index today sits at 55. That’s more than 20 >> points below the average when a sitting president loses reelection. >> >> The debt-ceiling debate was just one in the seemingly never-ending examples >> of the parties’ inability to forge consensus on anything — from contentious >> stimulus spending and health care reforms, to simple continuing budget >> resolutions. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), by triggering the >> “nuclear option” in the Senate this week to block GOP amendments, only >> escalated the party standoff. >> >> If the Republicans and Democrats in Washington cannot set aside their party >> loyalty, then the people are most likely to declare their independence >> again. Almost a third of voters today do not affiliate with either party, >> and 55 percent of Americans say a third party is needed. >> >> Skeptics cite all the usual reasons why a third-party or alternative >> nominating process won’t work. But it’s mostly just pattern recognition. >> It’s the same reason they said we’d never elect an African-American >> president. Because we hadn’t, they said we wouldn’t. >> >> These are different times. I don’t know how it’s going to happen. It could >> be the Americans Elect platform, or it could be in a self-funded independent >> candidacy, or a tea party candidate. >> >> But, I’m with Carville on this one: Something is coming. >> >> Mark McKinnon, a co-founder of No Labels, a trans-partisan organization, is >> a Republican strategist who served as chief media >> adviser for George W. Bush and John McCain. >> >> -- >> Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community >> <[email protected]> >> Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism >> Radical Centrism website and blog: http://RadicalCentrism.org > -- > Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community > <[email protected]> > Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism > Radical Centrism website and blog: http://RadicalCentrism.org -- Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community <[email protected]> Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism Radical Centrism website and blog: http://RadicalCentrism.org
