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- iHaveNet.com: Politics
by Kenneth T. Walsh
Sarah Palin is a vehicle for the anger of those on the right
The news media's mad dash to highlight the inflammatory passages of Sarah Palin's new book, Going Rogue: An American Life, largely misses the point. Too much attention has been paid to her continuing feud with Republican strategists from last year's campaign and her gripes about being mistreated by the media as the
Many Americans see her as a vehicle for their anger and disgust at Washington, and the Palin phenomenon is part of a larger trend of turning against the Establishment across the board.
There are many signs of voter resentment
The result could be a tide of hostility that will turn Washington on its head in next year's midterm elections and maybe in 2012.
"The American people have gone shopping, and they have purchased all the ingredients necessary for a political upheaval," says pollster Frank Luntz, author of What Americans Really Want...Really. "The question is: Are they going to cook the stew?"
Recent polls show that Americans aren't happy with the leadership of the two major parties or the status quo in Washington. That includes what they see as the liberal, activist-government, big-spending policies of President Obama. Even though Obama remains personally popular, his policies are tanking, including his proposals for healthcare legislation.
Fifty-five percent of Americans say the country is on the wrong track, and only 44 percent believe the nation is heading in the right direction, according to the latest All this could be bad news for officeholders in general And, since a majority of congressional incumbents are Democrats, it could be devastating for Obama's party. Half of Americans say they are inclined to look for someone new to support for The mood among independents, the classic swing voters who tend to be centrists, is particularly negative. Nearly two thirds say they are inclined to seek new representatives. And independent voters now favor a generic Republican candidate for But voters also are skeptical that the Palin might not be able to win the Republican presidential nomination if she decides to run, but she could certainly be the standard-bearer for people who want a Washington outsider to shake up the field. Billionaire businessman Ross Perot rode a similar populist movement in the presidential election of 1992. He got 19 percent of the vote, and many believe he drew enough support from Republican President George Bush to throw the presidency to Democrat Bill Clinton. Anti-Washington fervor is nothing new
But the current version seems particularly broad and deep. Luntz, who advised Perot and, later, House Republicans, says 33 percent of the voters in 1993 said they were "mad as hell and not going to take it anymore." They ended up dumping the Democrats from control of Available at Amazon.com:
What Americans Really Want...Really: The Truth About Our Hopes, Dreams, and Fears
AMERICAN POLITICS
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