“US Political Climate is Ripe for Grassroots Change” (1)
Political analysts say there is a groundswell among Americans of every political stripe
who are calling for a change in government.
After President George W. Bush won a second term in 2004, there has been a
proliferation of activist groups. Speculation suggests that these groups will get more
active as the 2008 elections come closer.
The movement is fueled both by suspicion of mainstream media and burgeoning access
to information via the Internet. A lot of stimulus comes from the feeling the country was
going down the wrong path. Many feel everybody has become a little complacent. Just
going to vote is not enough.
Many of the new groups represent a backlash against social conservatism, but they run
the gamut from the far right to the liberal left, with several positioned as moderates in
the middle.
A Washington Post-ABC News poll demonstrated just how much Americans’ interest in
Washington is ratcheting up ahead of next year’s election. Seventy percent of
respondents said they were closely following the presidential race, compared to 54
percent in a poll taken about a year before the 2004 election and 45 percent before the
2000 election.
Opposition to the war in Iraq and a debate over Bush administration policies has helped
spur activists but priorities vary from group to group.
Average people who never would have found themselves in the streets protesting are
focusing on returning the Republican Party to its core principles of social and fiscal
conservatism by supporting specific candidates in key races.
Political analysts say there is some evidence that the confluence of American voices is
catching the attention of politicians, but it remains to be seen how much influence the
movement may have. These people are organizing and watching elected officials and
what they are doing on particular issues and that always interests politicians. They pay
attention.
We must be willing to do the hard work to steer elected representatives toward a course
that may be unpleasant but necessary to send the message that We the People" demand
accountability for actions that seriously violate our rights and the laws of the
constitution, even if that course leads to impeachment!
1. Reuters, 2007.
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