If this survey is at all accurate….
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…then a lot of people must be pretty unhappy about what’s transpired over the last week…
The public is divided over Donald Trump’s creation of an advisory body on government efficiency led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. Almost 40% disapprove, while about a third approve..
About 6 in 10 believe that the president’s reliance on billionaires or family members for advice about government policy is a bad thing. However, 53% say having members of the opposing party weigh in on government policy is a good thing..
And there is little support for several proposals to change government operations. Only about a quarter of the public support moving federal agencies out of D.C., eliminating federal jobs, or eliminating entire federal agencies. About 4 in 10 favor requiring federal workers to work in the office 5 days a week.
But despite Trump’s claims that career federal workers resisted his policies during his first term, concern about civil servants who are unwilling to implement the president’s agenda is not as high. Only about one-third of Americans say this is a big problem in the government..
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@wtg said in If this survey is at all accurate….:
…then a lot of people must be pretty unhappy about what’s transpired over the last week…
I sure hope so!
This is why the role of the media is so important btw, people need accurate, and critical, depictions of what’s going on so they can have a (hopefully) clear-eyed understanding of what is happening right now.
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They no doubt are not getting the same news we are. That's the only reason they voted for Trump--they don't look at mainstream media. They consume lies, propaganda, and disinformation. If anyone here is curious enough to find out what the latest false narrative is, please do some reconnaissance for the rest of us.
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To be honest, I think many are seeing exactly the same news we are. It's their interpretation that is completely different because they have such different priorities. Where we see power grabs, vengeance, inhumanity, and chaos, they are seeing strong leadership and efficiency in cleaning up messes and wasteful spending that have been around for a long time. They're getting movement on issues that are of importance to them, and that's viewed in a positive light. And they're definitely not doing the "if the Left were doing all these things, would I be supporting it?" analysis. That exercise is often illuminating (if one is honest with oneself) and can lead to a broader understanding of various issues and can lead to collaborative solutions where both sides have to give up something.
Mostly what I'm seeing is just a lot of whataboutism and lack of serious discussion.
A few 'highlights' from what I've observed:
- As for the program for federal employees to quit, that is being viewed as a way to get rid of dead wood and reduce the size of government. People who will take the deal are probably the ones that need to go anyway.
Return to office? Better supervision and accountability. If the office you were in is now closed, you may have to relocate.
- Milley? He made to calls to his counterpart in China during one of Trump's toddler rants to assure the Chinese that all was well and stable. Team Trump viewed it as undermining his authority as commander-in-chief, bordering on treason. Story here: https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-china-joint-chiefs-of-staff-1b23ba339e50a7c17c43c1281a0b4e04.
Another crime...Milley apologized for walking with Trump to Lafayette Square and St John's Church while protestors were being pepper-sprayed. He was in uniform and said he didn't figure out how things were going to unfold as the entourage left the White House and marched over to the square, and realized his appearance compromised the long-standing tradition of the military being apolitical. Story here: https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/milley-apology-trump-walk-1.5607568
- Immigration raids? Ridding the country of 11 million criminals, ignoring the fact that illegal entry into the US is a civil, not a criminal offense. Only exception to that is if you're deported and come back; then it's criminal. Focus is on crimes committed by undocumented people. Ignoring multiple studies that compare crime rates of undocumented immigrants to native born citizens.
Those people cost taxpayers a lot of money, you know. They need to be gone. Little to no focus on how intertwined our lives, and economy, are with the undocumented immigrants who work in agriculture and other sectors. And no discussion about what happens to our food supply if there's no one there to pick crops. Or process meats. Or clean hotel rooms.
There seems to be no recognition that these issues can be addressed in a measured, systematic fashion rather than in the chaos we're seeing now. We are so pitted against each other, it's all fighting, no collaboration. Revolution, not evolution.
I try to read at least some articles and the comments on stories as reported by the right-leaning sites. I also find Tangle to be a good place to get the quick read on how the right and left view various issues.
I'll add to the list as things come to me. Hopefully other folks will add their observations, too.
