Thirty years ago over 60 percent of Americans thought that the government generally would try to do the right thing. The proportion of those today who think that government would generally do the right thing has sunk to not much more than 10 percent. According to the polls, people believe that members of Congress are less honest today than they used to be. Ironically, our political standards are in fact a good deal higher now than they were a century and a half ago. Congress today contains more educated and independent-minded legislators than the nation has enjoyed since the early republic.
Few sports are more popular today than the bashing and the trashing of politicians.
Yet contempt for politics increases. Of course Vietnam, Watergate, Iran-Contra and so on are a vital part of the story. Television has had something to do with it, too. Daniel Webster may have wanted his retainer refreshed, but he also gave serious and thoughtful speeches on the problems of the republic. Now television is doing its best to reduce our politics to a fatuous montage of photo-ops and sound bites.