The End of Politics? A Symposium
William Phillips:
I don't know whether there are Republicans here;
my guess is there are a few. I suspect that most of you are either
Democrats or leaning in that direction. In any event, I think we
all
feel
that one of the most distinctive features of this election campaign is the
disaffection, the apathy, the bewilderment of the public. The debates
have rekindled a certain amount of interest. But one senses that people
have had their fill of politics as usual, though they are not sure of where
to turn, given the limited possibilities. Many people say that the strong
showing of Clinton is a sign that the negative mood of the voters is
changing. I don't know, this may be true.
In any case, I'm going to throw out some questions. One question is
- and this is what we propose to explore tonight - what are the causes
for this unsettling situation? The major symptom is, of course, the en–
trance of Perot into the race. Perot is clearly an adventurer, but he does
not fit the stereotype of the savior on horseback, the strong man, com–
mon in backward countries in times of extreme discontent and confu–
sion. He is the shrewd businessman cast as adventurer. One of his assets is
that since he has no political ties or history, he can ask questions that
embarrass incumbents. But the question is whether he is a temporary
phenomenon or whether he arises out of some basic and more perma–
nent problems.
Similarly, the question arises as to whether the situation is marked by
a dissatisfaction with the two main candidates, or whether the trouble
lies deeper - in a dissatisfaction with the presidency and Congress, and
with the entire political system. On the surface, it would seem that the
dissatisfaction with Bush comes largely over the unfortunate state of the
economy, from the fact that he has not offered any solution in general
to our economic and other problems, and that he has given the impres–
sion of being weak and without any serious program. Also, the liberals
and even some conservatives are turned off by the large presence of a far–
right politician and anti-Semite like Buchanan. On the other hand, the
dissatisfaction with Clinton is based on the feeling that he can't keep all
his promises, that he will raise taxes, and that he hasn't shed the negative
legacy of the Democratic Party, although he has been trying to do that.
Also, some people are turned off by the presence of ultra-leftists among
Clinton's advisors.
Another important question is to what extent the alienation and
anger of the public is due to the recession and to what extent it is due
Editor's Note: This symposium took place on October 16th, 1992, in New
York City.
