European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 30, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Angry bewildered voters seem to be dropping out of democracy by Jonathan Peterson the los Angeles times in the Central Wisconsin town of Wausau Kim Freund 32, voices a lament that is reverberating through the land in this troubled election year Quot politics just stinks a she declared. Quot it s  sometimes the unpleasant topic of politics might intrude upon a social gathering said Freund a Mother of two. Quot but usually someone will say let s not talk about it. This is the Story behind the stories of the 1992 Campaign a an Onrush of anger and alienation that has led to stunningly Low voter turnouts an Avalanche of ballots against candidates rather than for them howling challenges within both major parties and a hunger for new heroes that could make a White House bid by Texas businessman Ross Perot the most serious outsider s quest in years. For a Small portion of the Public with no Hope at All the anger has exploded in violence and looting suddenly pushing the woes of the inner City High up on the National Agenda. However a much larger number of americans share a different version of dismay one that was shaping this year s political Campaign Long before the los Angeles riots. The economic and political system that succeeded for them and their parents seems to be failing. Now Many citizens of different income Levels Are struggling to retain Confidence in the democracy they viewed As a Beacon to the world. Americans Faith in institutions from Congress to the local schoolhouse has skidded to Levels not seen since the 1970s, if Ever according to National surveys. A sense that government is paralysed by such chronic problems As the budget deficit the growing american cynicism by Jonathan Peterson the los Angeles times an important clue to the american Public s cynicism May come from the practice of modern politics a dubious Art that often seems driven More by opinion polls Money raising and manipulation than Heartfelt leadership or a genuine connection with the Public. The newer Media Sawy Breed of politicians reminds one scholar of the 1956 movie invasion of the body snatchers in which sinister aliens attack a Small Western town and produce replicas of local citizens from giant pods. But the look alikes have no souls. Quot Over the years politics has been taken Over gradually increasingly by the pod people Quot said John j. Pitney jr., an assistant professor of government at Claremont Mckenna College in Southern California and a former staffer on the Republican National committee. The pod people Quot know voters not As neighbors not As friends but As demographic variables As figures on a computer  in the world of the pod people political parties have lost much of their influence to television. Candidates popularity tends to be More fleeting with fewer Loyal party members to count on observes Martin p. Wattenberg a political scientist at the University of California Irvine. The Public meanwhile spreads its ire across the political spectrum rather than aiming it just at the "other1 party. Quot now they Don t have anybody to blame a so they blame everybody Quot he said and health care costs further fuels the frustration and gloom according to interviews with voters and experts on Public opinion. Quot the last Good president we had was Truman Quot said Phyllis Lenkner 61, who owns a Dairy farm with her husband in the Western Pennsylvania town of Greenville. Truman left office in 1953. Today a state of government and politics she describes in one word  or consider this from the Rev. Cecil Murray at the first african methodist episcopal Church of los Angeles Quot the Only thing that Black americans a and All americans a can legitimately say to politicians is a lets Start  cynicism and Back room politics have made us a people that mistrust and distrust  Overall a series of weather vanes Points to a Large and growing if unfocused disenchantment with government that is rumbling across the nation s political landscape from blighted Urban neighbourhoods to tidy suburban enclaves. Elements of anger apathy disappointment and frustration All Are in the volatile mix which some analysts believe could have major consequences in the Short run and in the Long a undermining democracy itself. A few of the signs a an extraordinary number of votes aimed in protest or cast with regret. Seven in 10 americans wish other candidates were running for president polls show a sentiment that is propelling Perot a expected Independent quest for the White House. In Florida six of every 10 votes for Republican insurgent Patrick j. Buchanan were cast in protest As were three of every 10 for Democrat Paul e. Tsongas in new York. A disappointment in leaders that spreads across party lines. This is a noteworthy shift from the Post watergate bitterness that focused on republicans or the antidemocratic party feelings that spread during the Carter administration from 1977 to 1981. The graphic Symbol is Congress Check bouncing scandal widely taken to mean that politicians Are Quot greedy or incompetent or both Quot said Tom w. Smith a pollster for the National opinion research Center at the University of Chicago. A a striking Lack of Faith in the Basic institutions of american society. A meager 12 percent of the Public has a lot of Confidence in Congress a an All time Low a according to the los Angeles times poll. But the unhappiness extends to schools television Banks the supreme court and other institutions surveys show. A a widespread abandonment of voting. Of nearly 30 states that have conducted primaries so far this year at least 10 have recorded declining participation a with much of the plunge on the democratic Side. And those figures understate the trend because about half the states have no comparisons available yet in new York turnout among registered democrats tumbled to 27 percent Down from 45 percent in 1988, according to Marist College in Poughkeepsie . Overall the percentage of adults who vote in presidential elections has dropped 20 percent since the 1960s, according to the committee for the study of the american electorate a non profit research organization. One in two adults who were eligible to vote skipped the 1988 presidential election altogether. A the share of americans who believe the nation is moving in the right direction a 20 percent a now approaches the record lows of the Early 1970s, the Era of Oil embargoes gasoline lines rising inflation and watergate surveys show. Quot on virtually every measure people Are As unhappy or More unhappy than we be Ever seen them Quot said Larry Hugick a vice president of the Gallup organization in Princeton n.j., which recently reported that six in 10 americans Don t believe the presidential candidates have Good ideas for solving the country s problems. Some of the Public s concerns transcend politics the . Economy May be causing anxiety in ways that Cut to the Core of the nations identity causing anxiety and resentment among the poor. As one key example years of stagnating wages particularly for Blue Collar jobs have left millions to wonder if their children will enjoy the rising Standard of living that once was assumed to be an american Birthright. There also is a growing question of fairness. America s wealth is being shared less equally than it used to be reversing a trend that dates Back at least to world War ii. In april the Federal Reserve reported that the richest 1 percent of americans increased their portion of the nations private wealth from 31 percent in 1983 to 37 percent in 1989. Most of the . Population meanwhile experienced a Cut in their share of the pie. Some worry about the effect of widespread cynicism on american democracy itself. Much of the Public it seems is torn Between a desire to receive the benefits of government a health care education social Security police and other services and a resistance to paying for them with higher taxes. As Low voter turnouts suggest Many americans refrain from civic participation altogether and contribute Little to Public debate. To leaders it sometimes might seem like a confusing Jumble of signals from a Lazy electorate. Quot they re apathetic they re uninformed and they re ignorant Quot declared Douglas a. Muzzio a professor of political science at Baruch College of the City University of new York. He describes today s mood As Quot a minor nervous breakdown Quot in which american society seems to have lost its moorings a problem exacerbated by the end of the cold War which at least provided Many with a Clear delineation Between the Good Guys and the bad Guys. Others worry of the dangers that could arise from a Public that opts out of the political system by ignoring elections. Further drops in voter participation would raise the Specter of leaders who Are not accountable to Large portions of the Public worries Lee m. Miringoff a pollster at Marist College. Quot that seems to be the direction we re headed in right  voter dismay nothing by Jonathan Peterson the los Angeles times superficially at least today s mistrust of politics has parallels to earlier eras of anti government Fervour. Both the populist movement of the late 1800s and the progressive movement of the Early 1900s were fuelled in part by anger at government corruption said Robert Dalleck a historian at the University of California los Angeles. Early in the Century big City political Bosses were the targets of voters anger. Today Check bouncers in Congress Are expected to pay the Price. Already More than 50 House members have chosen to quit rather than face the voters judgment in november. In another possible parallel the earlier Reform movements protested growing concentrations of wealth and Power within an elite of Railroad Barons financiers and industrialists a Distant Echo of today s concerns about the rising Gap Between Rich and poor. Such issues helped propel the strongest third party presidential bid of he Century when former Republican president Theodore Roosevelt sought a third term on the progressive Bull Moose ticket in 1912 earning 27 percent of the vote. A University of Southern California political scientist draws analogies Between the Public mood and both the economic distress of the 1930s and the ant corruption sentiments of earlier Reform movements National leaders Quot Haven t really Woken up and realized there Are some very very serious problems in the psyche of the american people Quot said Sheldon Kamieniecki. In the Short run the anti political mood raises questions about the effects of a Ross Perot candidacy. A recent poll for example shows Perot leading among California voters with Bill Clinton second and George Bush third. The stars and stripes Page 15 Page 14 a the stars and stripes saturday May 30, 1992