Just Can’t Stand The Sight of Them

by digby

I’m listening to gasbags on TV today talk about the new polls which show that people think that the bums should all be kicked out. And if a recent experience of mine is any indication, I think it’s probably true.

We had a young friend in from out of town a few days ago and we decided it would be fun to take her up to Hollywood to see Ringo Starr receive his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in front of the Capitol Records building. As you might expect, there were a lot of people there, very excited to see a Beatle up close and personal. As with municipal events like this in small towns and large cities alike, it brings out the pols. This was no exception. There was a succession of politicians there to bask in the limelight of the rock legend and give a little speech on their own behalf and that of the city. But, the only one anyone seemed to recognize was the mayor, Antonio Villaraigosa. And they nearly booed him off the stage.

Now granted, he had a bit of a sex scandal a while back (an affair with a reporter)and recently announced citywide layoffs due to the budget crunch. I’m sure that he’s unpopular for specific reasons among any number of constituents. But this was a bunch of music fans, not a political gathering, and from the comments I heard in the crowd most of them didn’t even know his name, much less have any particular reason for hating him. As far as I could tell it was a spontaneous show of loathing for politicians, not anything specific.

I think people just blame politicians and the government in general for the sorry state of the economy and their gut sense that things have somehow gone horribly wrong. It’s the story they hear from everyone, and on some level it’s even true. But it’s also a very broad brush critique of the problem that unfortunately validates the incorrect notion that the government is the only culpable party — and, worse,stopping it from operating is the only way to end the pain. In other words, this is the conservative message internalized by average people who don’t follow the details but feel the frustration and angst

It’s not that I blame them. Politicians of all stripes have been remarkably obtuse and since we ostensibly have a democracy, politics is the designated place for people to register their anger at the social, economic and political problems of the country, even if they ultimately believe that the government is a useless institution and that free markets are the answer to everything.

This is why it doesn’t pay for Democratic politicians to adopt neo-liberal policies that don’t work and benefit only the wealthy owners of the country. They’ll get blamed when things go wrong and get no credit when things go right. It’s lose lose.

I’m sure Villaraigosa is fairly typical. I would bet money that all most people in that crowd saw was another loathsome politician with a big white smile, trying to horn in on the glory of a beloved rock icon when he should be out there doing something about the horrible economic situation which his policies caused.

Update: Greg Sargent has an item making a similar point.

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