Washington Post National Weekly Edition  July 19-26, 1999
By David S. Broder, Washington Post Staff Writer

A great many Americans think the government in Washington has been taken
away from them -- but they don't blame that familiar scapegoat, the
bureaucrats, for the theft.

A survey released July 12, by the Council for Excellence in Government, a
private group promoting improved performance in government and public
understanding of its work, said the chief culprits in the eyes of the
people are special interests, media, politicians and political parties.

Only 6 percent of the 1,200 people interviewed by Democratic pollster Peter
D. Hart and Republican pollster Robert Teeter fingered government employees
in allocating blame for what's wrong with government today.  With multiple
choices available, 38 percent targeted special interests; 29 percent, the
media; and 24 percent each, elected officials and political parties.

The two pollsters and council President Patricia McGinnis stress that even
though a number of questions showed large majorities saying the government
in Washington is not responsive to them, people still believe it has an
important role to play.  Only one person in five expressed quite a lot or a
great deal of confidence in the federal government, but eight out of 10
thought government will be as important as it is now or more important in
improving people's lives in the next century.

The top tier of responsibilities included maintaining national defense,
improving education, making college affordable, helping senior citizens,
finding cures for cancer and AIDS, reducing violence and cleaning up the
environment.  While concern about moral values is high, Hart and Teeter
say, skepticism about government's ability to affect values put that goal
well down the list, just above people becoming homeowners, exploring space
and providing foreign aid.

For now, however, the Hart-Teeter survey confirms the findings of many
other recent polls, all of which demonstrate, as McGinnis puts it, that "WE
HAVE AN ANEMIC DEMOCRACY, BADLY IN NEED OF INVOLVEMENT AND OWNERSHIP BY ITS
CITIZENS."

More than half of those surveyed said they think of it as "THE GOVERNMENT,"
rather than "OUR GOVERNMENT."  Only one in four thought the government
pursues the public interest and the people's agenda, rather than special
interests or its own agenda.  For every person who felt connected to
government, two said they feel disconnected.

And when asked about Lincoln's formulation that this is government "of, by
and for the people," 54 percent of Americans said it not longer applies,
compared to 39 percent who said it did apply and 7 percent who where not
sure.

On all these measures, Hart and Teeter report, there is a sharp age
gradient, which suggests that, unless something happens, alienation from
government may get worse.  Only among those over 65 is there a majority --
56 percent -- who say they feel close or connected to the government.  The
share drops steadily for each succeeding age group, and among those from 18
to 34, 69 percent say they feel distant or disconnected from government.

As is common in polls of this type, local and state governments enjoy
higher confidence ratings than Washington, D.C., and people express a
greater sense of ownership or participation in them.

Hart and Teeter emphasize that the poll represents A SENSE THAT GOVERNMENT
NO LONGER BELONGS TO THE PEOPLE, not simply a desire for a smaller or more
efficient one.

Hart says candidates in 2000 should understand that "PEOPLE ARE SAYING,
LISTEN TO US; DON'T TALK AT US."  And they are telling the press, "DON'T
TREAT US AS BYSTANDERS.  MAKE US A PART OF THE PROCESS."

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