Washington's governing elites think we're all morons, a new study says

Washington's governing elites think we're all morons,
a new study says By Alex Thompson

Voters are angry at the political establishment and the political establishment doesn't much care for the voters either. In fact, they think voters are pretty damn stupid. That's the conclusion of a new survey of America's unelected governing elites by political scientists at Johns Hopkins University. While media outlets endlessly poll and probe the American people to understand why they feel so disenchanted with their government, Professor Benjamin Ginsberg and Senior Lecturer Jennifer Bachner instead looked at America's political ruling class for answers. The federal bureaucrats, think tank leaders, and congressional staff members they surveyed, Ginsberg said in an interview with VICE News, "have no idea what Americans think and they don't care. They think Americans are stupid and should do what they are told." It seems that the disenchantment is mutual. In their new book What Washington Gets Wrong, Ginsberg and Bachner report that the overwhelming majority of D.C.'s Beltway Insiders think the American public is pitifully uninformed on government policy. 72 percent of those governing officials think the public has little or no knowledge about policies to aid the poor. 71 percent believe that they have little or no knowledge about science and technology. And across eight different policy areas, never more than 6 percent of those surveyed thought the public possessed a "great deal" of knowledge on the topic.
news.vice.com...

So we are not buds after all , but to be fair the average American can't stand their political elite either, but didn't the average Pol started as one of us?? you know like Mr Smith goes to Washington?? so why the disconnect, my thoughts is, something or someone came in between our elected officials and us, these are paid lobbyist who are now so brazen they write policy for their own benefit and "our" elected or selected officials rubber stamp it while getting paid but the big pay day is when they finish politicking to become lobbyist themselves..but what about J.Q Public, do these pols have a point??, yes most ppl reading this have a more than average knowledge about policy, in other words you guys keep up with stuff even if you are divided about what to do about stuff, but outside of this bubble ATS how many have had conversations with folks who know squat but have an opinion any way.

But of course they are right, we have been playing along with their democracy game for quite some time.

We are the peasants...but we have pitchforks, just they wait...

When it gets down to it, do you actually disagree with them?

c'mon.....we all know people that don't have a clue about government programs, what they do, how much they cost, or who they benefit.....most of here are more knowledgeable than the average voter....but, there is a great deal of truth to what the OP quoted

originally posted by: schuyler
When it gets down to it, do you actually disagree with them?

Only the Morons would disagree.

a reply to: Spider879

All we talk about now is Trump or Hillary's approval at @40%.

No one ever talks about the disapproval of congress (@90%).

Maybe we are morons.

a reply to: [post=21326411]Spider879[/post


Hopefully this election year will show them just how much we don't care what they think.

a reply to: Spider879

Politicians are puppets, puppets are made of wood. So, what's the IQ of lumber? Politicians might be decent people if they weren't greedy moronic shortsighted assclowns that took their opinions and agendas from marginally more intelligent assclowns.

Cheers - Dave

Actually it is true, most people are morons. The majority of the population are sheeple.

originally posted by: BlueShaman
Actually it is true, most people are morons. The majority of the population are sheeple.

You're right, only about 12% of people can think critically. Unfortunately, of that 12%, 8% are sociopaths and psychopaths, the other 92% have a conscience and varying degrees of ethics.

Cheers - Dave

a reply to: Spider879

Sadly I agree with them...we have a two party system that people blindly follow and question nothing...sounds about right

Absolutely. Two things. We are idiots. We watch Duck Dynasty and Honey booboo and listen to idiots on MSNBC and Foxnews tell us what to believe. We play Pokemon Go and eat McDonalds and drink soda and cheap beer by the gallon. We are idiots and we keep voting for the same two party. Nobody Likes Clnton or Trump yet we think those are the only two people we are allowed to vote for. We're one of the stupidest countries on earth.

Second point is that those politicians are not like us. You almost have to be an insider or a millionaire or a lawyer just to get into congress or the Senate. Every once in a while we sneak a normal person in there but overall they're all rich kids with no clue as to what we face on a daily basis. They aren't like us. They don't know us

and if we were smarter we wouldn't vote for em over and over again.

a reply to: Spider879

I would of never put us 20 trillion in debt.Yeah they're real smart. Dumb arses.

originally posted by: chrismarco
a reply to: Spider879

Sadly I agree with them...we have a two party system that people blindly follow and question nothing...sounds about right

So the prevailing opinion so far is the "The masses are asses."a quote supposedly made by Alexander Hamilton , if so what to do about fixing it, we had social studies in High School and lessons in democracy by having a voting student body for class president, so when did most ppl stop caring and do mostly complaining.

a reply to: Spider879

Career politicians are the tell. How do they keep getting reelected without some manipulation going on there?

a reply to: bobs_uruncle

Do you have a source for those numbers? I believe you, it definitely would appear to be the case. But, I would be interested in reading that.

originally posted by: intrptr
a reply to: Spider879

Career politicians are the tell. How do they keep getting reelected without some manipulation going on there?

Yes out side of the executive branch most pols or a great many will die in office, very few will be unseated , manipulation strategies are varied but the most favored is gerrymandering which both parties love, the thing is the people within those districts allowed it.

originally posted by: Mianeye
We are the peasants...but we have pitchforks, just they wait...

Lol, they have cluster munitions.

Road to Basrah...

a reply to: Spider879

Yah, something about rezoning districts, favoring turnouts to support the incumbent. There were threads...