America has met the enemy, and it is Washington. "We have a political class now, They're above us."

Thursday, December 5, 2013

America has met the enemy, and it is Washington. "We have a political class now, They're above us."

Middle America assails Washington machine as indifferent and 'above us'

By Carrie Dann, Political Reporter, NBC News

Independent voters sat down with pollster Peter Hart in Cincinnati to talk about their frustrations with politicians in Washington.

MASON, Ohio -- America has met the enemy, and it is Washington.
That was the message from a focus group of 11 Cincinnati-area voters, who issued a scathing and impassioned indictment Wednesday of Washington, D.C., and everyone in it -- from lawmakers to the president and, most strikingly, a political system that makes them feel powerless to change it.
"They're indicting the president, they're indicting Congress," said Democratic pollster Peter Hart, who conducted the two-hour session exclusively for the Annenberg Public Policy Center, in conjunction with NBC News and The Wall Street Journal.
"It is a sense that the system doesn't work, and they don't have an answer, but they know what they hate."
These voters -- who described themselves as independents who tend to lean one way or another -- assailed the distrust, gridlock, weak leadership and callousness from a government they said seemed indifferent to solving problems. And, they added, they felt "helpless" to punish the lawmakers responsible.
"We have a political class now," said Jerry Laub, a 54-year-old casino card dealer who voted for Mitt Romney in 2012. "They're above us."

Aude Guerrucci / Pool / EPA

"The president took it right on the chin," said pollster Peter Hart of the results of the Cincinnati focus group. Obama is seen here in a Dec. 4 file photo.

Obama 'took it right on the chin'President Barack Obama was hardly spared from their frustration.
"The president took it right on the chin," said Hart, the pollster. "Essentially, they don't dislike him personally, they just feel like he's failed them."
None of the eight voters who supported Obama in 2012, nor the three who voted for Mitt Romney, described themselves as "proud" or "satisfied" with the president, opting instead for "mixed" or "disappointed."
"He's a big disappointment," said Brandi Nixon, 34, an African-American nurse assistant who voted for Obama in the last election. "He just lost focus. He lost focus on his goals. ... He stopped focusing on creating more jobs and fixing the economy."
"It's like the economy's just sitting still," she added.
Words used to describe the president, even by those who voted for him last year, included "inexperienced," "powerless," "cautious," "timid" and "overwhelmed."
Participants described a man buffeted by the events around him rather than a leader shaping the future of the country.
"This job is harder than he thought it was going to be," said Beatrice Hodovanic, 57, a registered nurse who describes herself as a independent and leans towards the Democratic Party.
Much of their discontent stemmed from the poor rollout of the Affordable Care Act, which a majority cited as the biggest failure of Obama's presidency.
Still, most participants said it was possible that the law could ultimately be fixed.
"As it stands right now, it's not going to work," said Terry Hartley, 63, a retired Romney voter who said Obama had "botched" the rollout of the law. "But with changes in the law and adjustments, I think there's a possibility."
‘It's like they didn't care’For all the disappointment and frustration directed toward the president by the focus group, lawmakers in Congress received even more unvarnished anger, particularly regarding the government shutdown in October.
Again and again, these voters pleaded for both parties to "work together" and relate to their constituents rather than indulge in bickering and, as one put it, "all those steak dinners."
If members of Congress spent some time in his shoes, said Hartley, "I would hope that they would care more about the people they represent."

The 113 Congress has passed just 56 laws with the House scheduled to head to vacation at the end of next week. NBC's Mark Murray reports.

"That's what upset me so much about the shutdown," he added. "It's like they didn't care."

The funding showdown wasn't just problematic because of the closure of national parks and the missed paychecks to federal workers, participants added. Simply put, it made America look like a "laughingstock" around the world, said Leesa Carr, a 57-year-old special education assistant, who added that the Affordable Care Act rollout and the public education system were also "embarrassing" problems for the nation’s stature worldwide.
Obama wasn't absolved of guilt for the impasse that shuttered the federal government's doors for 16 days; five participants gave him a grade of “D” or “F” for his handling of the shutdown.
"I think they were selfish," Brigid Brennan, a 51-year-old Obama voter, said of Washington politicians. "It's sad that we can't discuss things and come to a conclusion."

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