Churchill: This is why we’re cynical about politics – Times Union
ALBANY — Americans dislike politicians and politics. That’s hardly shocking, I know, but the stark findings in a new Pew report suggest our disillusion is deepening.
Nearly two-thirds of Americans told the Pew Research Center they always or often feel exhausted by our politics, while 55 percent said they always or often feel angry. Fewer than four in 10 Americans hold favorable views of the Republican or Democratic parties, and 28 percent hold negative views of both parties. That’s up from 6 percent 20 years ago.
The deep cynicism and widespread gloom — just 10 percent of voters feel hopeful — is entirely justified, of course. For the latest bit of evidence, I’ll point to the vote-by-mail legislation signed into law a few days ago by Gov. Kathy Hochul.
Now, a newcomer from Mars or Idaho might see the expansion as a rare reason for optimism. It does, after all, promise to make it easier to vote in a state that has long been noteworthy for especially dismal turnout, and Hochul framed the bill as a necessary punch against the bad guys.
“You can either be on the side of democracy or against democracy,” Hochul said. “That’s how you’ll be defined.”
What side is Hochul on? How will she be defined?
Before you answer, consider that voting by mail was overwhelmingly rejected in a statewide referendum not even two years ago. Asked about changing New York’s constitution to allow no-excuse absentee mail balloting, voters rejected the idea 55 percent to 45 percent.
We can debate whether New Yorkers were right and whether allowing voting by mail will prove to be a good thing. For now, let’s leave those arguments aside. What’s inarguable is that voters democratically rejected the expansion and that to override that rejection is fundamentally undemocratic.
It might not amount to voter suppression as we tend to understand the term, but it certainly suppresses the will of voters.
Not that most Democrats in the Legislature will admit it. They claim the new law is about early voting by mail while the referendum was about absentee balloting by mail. If you don’t see the difference, that’s because there really isn’t one. It’s rhetorical sleight of hand, as the bill’s sponsor, state Sen. Mike Gianaris, a Democrat from Queens, all but acknowledged.
“It’s a legal fine line, to be sure,” Gianaris told me in July, describing the argument as “technical.”
Well, I appreciate his honesty. But understand that Democrats fully realize they’re overruling New York voters who, they believe, made the wrong decision. And we wonder why voters are cynical, why they don’t think politicians are listening, why they don’t believe their votes are consequential.
That referendum in 2021? It didn’t matter. Apologies if you’re one of the three million New Yorkers who showed up to cast a ballot. But please vote next time because your ballot is so very important and all that.
Republicans, including U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, immediately sued to block the law soon after Hochul signed it, arguing the expansion is unconstitutional and highlighting how Democratic lawmakers admitted as much when they sent the change to voters.
“The Legislature understood that it — like every other Legislature before it — would have to amend the Constitution before expanding mail voting,” the lawsuit says. “Supporters of expanded mail voting conceded that the amendment was constitutionally necessary.”
Indeed, they did — right up until those dastardly voters with their ignorant opinions rejected it. Then the tune changed. But democracy, you see. This is all about democracy. Sure it is. You can take the governor’s word for it.
On Wednesday, Hochul said the legislation “showcases our commitment to one basic principle, and that is democracy.” She added: “The message is that people’s votes matter.”
Except for the votes cast in the 2021 referendum.
Hochul also said Republicans oppose mail voting because they fear that it will disadvantage their candidates. That’s undoubtedly true, but Democrats, I’d suggest, favor the expansion because they believe it will help them and would take the opposite position if they thought otherwise. The parties don’t operate on principle. They’re motivated by self-interest.
There’s nothing new in that, of course, but it does explain why Americans are so disillusioned with politics and politicians.
In that Pew poll, a mere 16 percent of Americans said all or most elected officials seek office because they want to serve the public, and just 22 percent said politicians are genuinely seeking to advance the issues they claim to care about.
That disillusion, while understandable, sure isn’t good for democracy.
Source: News
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