According to a 1999 Washington Post-ABC News poll regarding the
2000 presidential election, almost 25 percent of those polled did
not recognize that George W. Bush and George H.W. Bush Sr. were two
different people. Even more disturbing, my friend at Notre Dame who
voted in the 2000 election did not recognize that difference until
after the election. What is going on here?
The Founding Fathers are probably looking down through their
half-moon spectacles, shaking their heads, and reprimanding us with
ever-so-eloquent versions of “I told you so.”
The framers of the United States government did not have
confidence in the quality of political contribution from the
American masses. They outlined and adopted political institutions,
such as the Electoral College and the indirect election of senators
(later amended to direct election in 1913), to create distance
between the workings of the government and the extent of the
public’s participation.
But wait a minute. Isn’t this country, a model of liberty
and modernity, based on the unfailing ideals of democracy?
Isn’t democracy, by definition, a government ruled by the
people?
Yes it is, but the United States was formed as a republic, not a
pure democracy; republics do not entail the use of pure democracy
and in many ways expunge it. The Founding Fathers, wary of everyday
Joe Shmoe, enacted safeguards against direct democracy, tyrannies
of the majority and demagoguery: essentially against the whimsical
and often incorrect nature of public opinion.
Throughout the past century, however, these safeguards have
eroded. The importance placed on public opinion and its constant
use as a litmus test for everything under the D.C. sun has spiraled
out of control and must be stopped.
Why? Because the American public, as the Founders understood and
predicted, is ill-informed regarding government issues. We have
shirked our civic responsibility to remain knowledgeable about
current events and policy issues. Why, then, do network news
companies and Washington insiders continue to report on and make
policy decisions influenced by these ill-formed opinions?
A few years ago, CNN launched “TalkBack Live,” a
daily interactive program where a live studio audience and
thousands of viewers voice their opinions concerning current events
via phone, fax, live comments and the Internet. The show’s
host, Arthel Neville, began the show by introducing a current topic
in the news and then allowed experts or pundits to take the soapbox
for a few minutes concerning the issue at hand. Following these
artful examples of the intellectual put-down comes the crux of the
program ““ members of the American public get to speak their
mind.
This aspect of the show is a perfect illustration of how the
public’s opinions are taken seriously, in addition to being
for the most part, inaccurate.
For example, “Bush does not need permission to ask anyone
to go to war. He’s the president.”
This enlightening comment was given by a viewer via e-mail on
the Feb. 14 show entitled “Showdown Iraq: More Inspections
Needed or War Time Imminent?” I sincerely hope that you
recognize the absurdity of this comment, but if not: the president
of the United States does need the permission of Congress before he
can take any steps toward war. Furthermore, only Congress can
formally declare war, although the United States has not actually
done so since World War II. Regardless of partisanship, a president
cannot simply do what he pleases.
After this comment appeared on the show, there was no discussion
regarding its falsity, and the comment was not treated as comical
for its ridiculousness. What scares me is that some viewers of that
particular show probably now believe the logic behind this comment
because it was not refuted or even discussed. The problem of public
inaccuracy was merely perpetuated.
Americans are not stupid; that is not my argument in the
slightest. For our credit it would be impossible to know all the
details about all the current events, of every single day of every
single year. We have a responsibility, though, to our government
and our fellow citizens to try to remain knowledgeable in as many
current issues as our overworked schedules permit. Many Americans
do not even make an effort and therefore do not fully understand
all sides of an issue.
The Founding Fathers recognized the faults of the public and
wanted to minimize their influence on the policy of the government.
Today, though, there seems to be an increasing amount of authority
placed on public opinion. We either need to stop this unfortunate
phenomenon or instigate a mandatory current events class for every
U.S. citizen. And really, who wants to organize the logistics?
Although CNN recently announced that “TalkBack Live”
will be cancelled soon, I do not see an end in the near future to
the influence of public opinion. The most practical solution to
this problem, then, is this: We should all put in a concerted
effort to remain knowledgeable about the happenings in our country.
If we want politicians to respect the public’s opinion, we
must make public opinion worth respecting.