Losing the American Trust
The American public likes their government much more when politicians are not disagreeing among themselves, and conflict in the political arena is not something Americans like. In today's climate congress it is viewed as fighting when they are debating specifics. As parties become more extreme it becomes more and more difficult for the two parties to work together collectively for the greater good. Congress tends to be the least liked part of the American political system due to its internal political conflict while the president is favored because he is usually viewed as an individual trying to get Congress to support his agenda. He is viewed as the country's leader who has a personal relationship with the public. Unlike Congress members who are voted on by the voters of their districts the President represents the entire country. Congress is a two party system made of the republican and democrat party. While people prefer a divided government they do not like to see conflict between the Congress and President or between parties in Congress. Although Congress is unpopular, it is victim of its design because it is a two-party system that must work together to deal constructively with the country's challenges.
First, Congress tends to be the least liked part of the American political system due to political conflict while the president is favored because he is usually viewed as an individual representing the country as a whole. America’s approval of congress ebbed further in October, to 13%, and it is now at its lowest point since July of 2016. (McCarthy 2017, 1) As Richard E. Neustadt, author of the “The Presidency”, explains that, “Persuasive Power, thus defined, amounts to more than charm or reasoned argument. These have their uses for a President, but these are not the whole of his resources. Presidential “powers” may be inconclusive when a President commands, but always remain relevant as he persuades.” (Neustadt 2016, 178) The American Public clearly favors at least one person running for presidential office and it is in their own-self-interest to determine whether they believe that their words/actions correlate to how they perceive that the candidate runs the country. As Neustadt explains in more detail, “A President’s advantages are greater than mere listing of his “powers” might suggest. Those with whom he deals must deal with him until the last day of his term. Because they have continuing relationships with him, his future, while it lasts, supports his present influence.” (Neustadt 2016, 178) Members of the white house may not approve of the existing President’s particular stances on a particular issue, and that is okay as long as they are able to agree to an extent on whatever it may be that is “natural” or in the self-interest one one’s own beliefs. Adding to my point, both Congress and the executive branch need to work together in order to achieve the common goal. Instead of democrats versus republicans, members should “unify together and work to achieve the main task at hand. In Congress’s defense, John R.Hibbing and Christopher W.Larimer authors of What the American Public Wants Congress to Be mention that “public opinion can affect Congress in a manner quite different from its influence on specific decisions.” (Hibbing, Larimer 2005, 55) They both go into detail describing how the public would respond, “If the public strongly disapproves of Congress, sitting members may decide against running for a seat in the first place. If members are traumatized by negative public opinion of them and of Congress, they may be reluctant to address new policy initiatives, especially any that are controversial. And solid evidence even suggests that negative views of Congress render people less likely to comply with the laws it passes” (Hibbing Larimer, 2005, 55) Clearly, this evidence is factual. The public as well as public opinion influence Congress a lot and their daily decision making. Congress has to realize that no one is perfect and it has to work 10 times harder every day to satisfy the needs of its people or distrust comes into play. “Congress is often frustrated by the President. Their formal powers are so intertwined that neither will accomplish very much, for very long, without the acquiescence of the other.” (Neustadt, 179) When distrust or unrest is obvious among the American public, Americans or other unhappy political party members often resort to violence in the forms of protest or other violent acts of crime. The most important reason Congress tends to be the least liked part of the American political system is due to political conflict while the president is favored because he is usually viewed as an individual trying to get Congress to support his plans. He is viewed as the country's leader while Congress is viewed as fighting among themselves when they work through issues to establish laws. “Although our government was supposedly designed to be a government of separate powers it is actually a government of separated institutions sharing power.” ((Neustadt, 177) So the President’s ability to persuade becomes crucial. The willingness of Congess to work collaboratively becomes paramount for the sake of their country. People feel if the parties of Congress are fighting among themselves then they are not focused on the good of the people. In my own opinion, Congress needs to become more effective at solving problems. Congress needs to recognize they are to blame for the public’s distrust of government. Congress needs to start getting along with one another, and get back to representation of the American public by listening to the interests of the public and not just their own party’s self-interests. Even though Trump’s rating is low compared to other presidents it is still much higher than congress. Throughout Donald Trump’s third quarter as president,from July 20 through Oct. 19, an average of U.S. adults approved of the job he was doing. (Jones 2017,1) People prefer a divided government but do not like to see conflict between the Congress and President or between parties in Congress. This is clearly in the fact that the most popular level of government is the Judicial Branch. Even in recent years, when trust in the other two branches has fallen, the judiciary has held its own- dropping to 63% who had a great deal/fair amount of trust last year but recovering this year to 67%. (Newport 2017,1)
The American public constantly wants to be heard, constantly expressing our displeasure through various forms of media such as: newspapers, social media, internet and above all, We want better results. Social media of today provides the people a platform like never before, unless those elected recognize this and act accordingly our government may never recover from its current level of distrust. We as a nation need to take a step back and be patient and let the “man in charge” do his thing. I understand that many times in the president’s tenure in office there are many things he can do to improve his presidential status and as a result we often get very angry and resort to various forms of “violent” protests.