| | | | 1 poll number that should be a wake-up call for politicians | | A new Pew poll on how people think about politics and politicians is filled with not-so-positive nuggets. More than six in 10 say that "significant changes" are necessary in American government. Just one in three have a favorable opinion of the federal government. And so on and so forth.
But, amidst all that bad, one number really stood out to me: 3.
That's the percentage of people in the Pew poll who say they have a "great deal" of confidence in elected officials to act in the public's best interest.
3%!!!!
Meanwhile, 52% have "not too much," and 23% have no confidence at all in elected officials looking out for their best interests. Oomph.
Whether you are a Republican, a Democrat or neither, that number is absolutely awful. It speaks not only to the negative view most Americans have for politicians but also the gulf between what they think is right and what they think politicians care about.
(Sidebar: This lack of trust in institutions to look out for the average person is widespread. Just 5% think business leaders act in the public's best interest while 8% say the media looks out for their best interests and 9% say the same of religious leaders. Overall, depressing figures.)
That massive disconnect between people and the politicians who represent them is what led to President Donald Trump. Trump tapped into the public's resentment that politicians not only didn't listen to them but actively didn't care what they thought. He cast himself as the voice of the "forgotten" man and woman.
But capitalizing on that sense of alienation from your elected officials for political purposes is very different than working to bridge that gap. And, so far in office, Trump has chosen to exacerbate the differences people feel between themselves and their elected officials rather than mitigate them.
Which may be good politics. But makes for a very unhealthy democracy.
The Point: Numbers like these should serve as a wake-up call for anyone who cares about our political institutions. No institution can continue to exist, grow and prosper when just 3% of its constituents believe it has their best interest at heart.
-- Chris | | "I have many attorneys … sadly, I have so many attorneys you wouldn't even believe it."
-President Donald Trump during his "Fox and Friends" interview Thursday | | | | Kids were spotted on the Hill, at the White House and at CNN on Thursday as many across Washington celebrated Take Your Child to Work Day. | | CNN DC bureau kids hanging out with Wolf Blitzer (top left), House Speaker Paul Ryan (top right), White House press secretary Sarah Sanders (bottom left) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (bottom right).
Photo courtesy: Wolf Blitzer / Daniella Diaz / Betsy Klein / Deirdre Walsh | | | Today's topic? Trump's "Fox and Friends" interview. | | POMPEO CONFIRMED AS SECRETARY OF STATE | | CNN's Lauren Fox, Deirdre Walsh and Laura Koran reported Thursday:
"Mike Pompeo was sworn in as the 70th US secretary of state Thursday, after the Senate voted to confirm him, 57-42, installing the former CIA director as the nation's top diplomat at a time when several high-stakes negotiations are underway around the globe. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito administered the oath at 2 p.m. ET, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement. The Thursday vote will allow Pompeo, who previously served as CIA director, to travel to Brussels, followed by Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Israel and Jordan." Read more here.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders tweeted an image of Pompeo shaking hands with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un over Easter weekend. She wrote "Great to have Secretary Pompeo confirmed. He will do an excellent job helping @POTUS lead our efforts to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula." | | History isn't necessarily on the side of Democratic senators vying for the 2020 presidential bid. From CNN's Ryan Struyk and Will Cadigan:
"One thing jumps out about the field of serious Democratic challengers to President Donald Trump in 2020: Almost all of them are US senators. But history shows some of those big names -- such as Bernie Sanders, Cory Booker, Elizabeth Warren, Kirsten Gillibrand and Kamala Harris -- may face an uphill climb from the Senate to the West Wing.
Over the last two-and-a-half centuries of American politics, sitting members of the US Senate have not fared well in presidential elections. Only three presidents have ever been elected from their seat in the Senate: Warren Harding, John F. Kennedy and Barack Obama."
Read their full story here. | | From CNN's Harry Enten: It's hard to believe, but the Tennessee Senate race is truly competitive, folks. After a Middle Tennessee State University poll last month showed Democrat Phil Bredesen up 45% to 35%, two new live interview polls this month have confirmed the trend.
A Mason-Dixon Poll released earlier this week put Bredesen up 46% to 43%. That not only had Bredesen with a higher favorable rating (43%) than Republican Marsha Blackburn (35%), but it also had Blackburn with a higher unfavorable rating (26% to 18%). That is, Bredesen's advantage is not merely because he has higher name recognition from being a former governor.
Perhaps most interesting, there hasn't been a lot of pushback from Republicans about the public polling. The Blackburn campaign has not released any polling of its own to suggest the public polling is inaccurate. Meanwhile, an internal poll for the Bredesen campaign this month had Bredesen up 51% to 41% over Blackburn. That poll, like the Mason-Dixon Poll, had Bredesen with both a higher favorable and lower unfavorable rating than Blackburn.
If Democrats can win in Tennessee, it would help considerably in their drive to get a net gain of two seats to take back the US Senate in November. | | | From Brenna: "EPA head Scott Pruitt had a DAY, y'all. He faced not one but TWO committees. Spoiler: Neither went easy on him. So if you've had a day of your own, just be happy that you (probably) had fewer people yelling at you." Thanks for reading. And as always, please tell people you know to subscribe to The Point. | | We'd love to share our other newsletters with you. Follow this link for daily coverage of the world's top stories, savvy market insights, an insider's look into the media, and more. Our authors for The Point are Chris Cillizza and Saba Hamedy. Send your tips and thoughts via email to Chris or Saba. Follow on Twitter: Chris and Saba. | | | | | | |
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