The Growing Detachment Of The Political Class

from Red State:

The Growing Detachment of the Political Class




Posted by Erick Erickson (Profile)



Wednesday, August 18th at 11:22PM EDT



19 Comments

I hate to keep harping on this topic, but it is so very relevant to the present political discussion. The political class and its sycophants — and I want to be clear here that this is bipartisan and, to a degree, across ideological lines — has grown hopelessly out of touch with the rest of America. The political class that supports things like the Ground Zero mosque has become fringe.



They and their ideas are bounced back and forth and embraced as gospel truth with no bearing on reality. They preach to the masses, turn their noses up at alternatives, and believe that the world is all right as long as they are in charge.



Meanwhile, their poll numbers keep going down, their viewers flee, and their subscribers cancel. Why watch, listen to, or read the predictable beltway drivel that everyone knows is the talking point of the day and everyone knows is pretty much garbage.



But they’ll keep telling us the same thing over and over trying to force us to believe them. Remember, Obamacare is unpopular because of misinformation, not because people know what is in it.



One of the talking points, shared by some Republicans and all the Democrats and talked about by many reporters as if it is fact, not opinion, is that the tea party activists have elected a host of extremist candidates who cannot win and are badly out of touch with America.



Consider, however, what isn’t being bullet pointed:



57% think the Democrat agenda is “extreme”

60% favor repeal of Obamacare

56% disapprove of Obama’s job performance

61% favor immigration laws like Arizona just passed

68% oppose the Ground Zero mosque

65% are angry at federal government policies

65% say America is on the wrong track



And then consider this: those candidates the Democrats and talking heads are saying are extreme on the Republican side are either ahead or neck and neck with the Democrat.



Why? Because Americans have decided they understood what Barry Goldwater meant when he said “Extremism in defense of liberty is no vice. . . . Moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue” and they tend to agree.



When you put all those elements together you get an ad like this one from the NRSC