Headlines in Recent Years, the Greatest Failures

Headlines

In recent years, the greatest failures of government have been in the economy and foreign policy, and public opinion polls demonstrate overwhelming distrust of both Republicans and Democrats on these issues. According to recent headlines on the Daily Beast Cheat Sheet, almost all stories about the local, state and federal governments as well as politicians and the political process as a whole, reflect a mostly negative, cynical and distrustful public mood. Every since the days of Vietnam and Watergate, such lack of confidence in government has been commonplace and shows up in poll after poll, decade after decade. In general, ordinary Americans regard government as corrupt, unconcerned with their problems and ineffective at dealing with them. In the last two days, for instance, headlines like "Obama, GOP Clash over Debt Limit" and "Stocks Plunge on Economic News" reflect this widespread loss of trust and confidence, especially given the fact that unemployment and home foreclosures remain at high levels while federal bailouts and stimulus funds have mostly seemed to benefit large banks and corporations rather than the average person. High debt levels and budget deficits, an unfair tax system, the power of lobbyists and campaign donors, all combine to increase distrust in government.

In addition, ongoing scandals with public officials, such as Congressman Anthony Weiner's inability to explain exactly how semi-nude pictures were sent to his friends on Twitter ("Weiner: 'I Didn't Send the Pictures") are also a regular feature of political life. Although former Alaska governor Sarah Palin is popular with the conservative base of the Republican Party, she has relatively little popularity outside that group. Scandals plagued her term as governor -- a position she resigned after only two years -- and the most recent headline of "Alaska to Release Palin Emails" may very well generate even more negative publicity for her when these become known. Palin may or may not be a candidate for president next year, but her questionable record on ethics and insatiable desire for money and publicity generate widespread distrust outside of her hardcore supporters. In foreign policy, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan long ago lost public support, and new headlines like "UN: Libyan Rebels

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Guilty of War Crimes" will certainly remind the voters that they do not want the U.S. To become involved in another war in a Muslim country. Not since Vietnam has public distrust of American military and foreign policy been so high, and in light of the poor economy and budget deficits, most people would prefer to scale these back and concentrate on domestic problems.

Given the widespread public distrust of government on the economy and foreign affairs, and doubts about the integrity and ability of political leaders, finding positive and optimistic stories is difficult. On the whole, Washington has been more capable and responsive to recent national disasters than George W. Bush was with Hurricane Katrina. President Obama moved quickly to provide federal relief in the recent floods and tornadoes, for example ("All Joplin's Missing Accounted For"), despite the difficulties with the federal budget. "Endeavor Returns to Earth" is a headline about a successful space shuttle mission to the International Space Station, and overall NASA has been one of the most successful and popular government programs, with the missions to the moon, Mars and other planets, the Hubble telescope. Even though two shuttles were destroyed over the years, NASA's benefits to science, the economy and society have far outweighed its costs. Current Republican efforts to defund abortion, birth control and Planned Parenthood are also highly unpopular outside their social conservative base, and the Obama administration's efforts to block these state-level laws ("Indiana Can't Defund Planned Parenthood") will probably increase overall public trust in government, at least to some degree.

Polls also show that decriminalizing marijuana, especially for medicinal use, is also a popular position, and the headline "Medical Marijuana Superstore Opens" will likely increase trust in government among younger voters. In recent years, there has been a growing sense that the War on Drugs has failed and led only to prison overcrowding and tremendous wealth for organized crime, and articles like these about de facto legalization in states like Arizona will seem like a sensible policy to the majority. Finally, in "Octomom's Doctor's License Revoked," a publicity-seeking woman and the