Sixty-four percent of respondents say Big Government is the “biggest threat to the country in the future,” just off the 65 percent recorded in 1999. Fear of "Big Business" rose from 24 percent to 26 percent since 1999.
Shockingly, distrust of Big Government among Democrats showed the biggest increase over the past two years. It surged from 32 percent in 2009 to 48 percent today. Conversely, distrust of Big Business dropped from 52 perceent in 2009 to 44 percent. The distrust level among Independents of Big Government was up five points during that two-year period to 64 percent. Republican Big Government haters rose from 80 percent to 82 percent.
Obama, the reluctant political warrior, takes the blame for America’s lost faith in the ability of government to get things done. He has given Republicans a free ride during the past two years as they bashed Washington as a cesspool of waste and corruption. Republican never-ending calls for lower taxes serve the dual purpose of enriching its political base and de-funding Uncle Sam. Where was Obama?
The president even abdicated a role in pitching the benefits of his greatest achievement, the landmark healthcare law, leaving the measure wide open for cheap political attacks about creating a bureaucratic Frankenstein. Left unsaid by Republicans and the president: millions of uninsured Americans will soon receive coverage.
Given the lackluster crowd of Republican presidential seekers, Obama is more than likely to win another term. But if he isn’t going to serve as cheerleader-in-chief for federal USA, what’s the point?
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