Tell Me It Ain't So Mav - A Disconnect?

There's a disconnect between the voters and the political class - one that could, maybe, hopefully lead to a viable third party.

The disconnect between the American people and the political elites can be seen in everything from taxes to immigration policy.

Lets start with immigration first, it's an issue that's been around for awhile with enough polling data to allow us to easily quantify the disconnect.

A June 26, 2009 Politico story - that seems to have been largely overlooked - states that Pres. Obama has rallied what appears to be the same group who tried to ram the last "Comprehensive Immigration Reform" bill through Congress in the dark of night. Seems there plan is to draft a new "bi-partisan" bill with McCain among those at the forefront:

President Obama vowed on Thursday to immediately begin negotiations to craft comprehensive immigration reform, with the goal of passing legislation in Congress later this year or early next year.

In a meeting with Democratic and Republican lawmakers, Obama said all parties at the table were far from reaching consensus on an immigration overhaul, but he said they were in agreement that the current system is “broken and needs fixing."...

In the hour-long meeting at the White House, Obama praised John McCain (R-Ariz.), his opponent in the 2008 presidential election who often bucked the GOP by calling for immigration reform, saying he “has already paid a significant political cost for doing the right thing. I stand with him."

Yes McCain did get beat up bad in the last fiasco, but that's because he disregarded the fact that the voters do not want another amnesty program - they want secure boarders. Alas, recent events strongly indicate that our political "elites" are still still hellbent on telling the citizens what is best for them - you know because we're just a bunch of rubes who don't understand national policy.

A series of Rasmussen polls shows a frightening disconnect between the American people and our political class over immigration:

66% of likely voters say it is very important for the government to improve boarder enforcement and reduce illegal immigration. Only 32% of the political class agree.

74% of voters say that the government is not doing enough to secure our boarders

73% of likely voters agree that police officers should automatically check to see if a person is in the country legally when the person is pulled over for a traffic stop. 67% agree that local cops should raid known hangouts for illegal immigrants looking for work.

Now before those "speak before you read" people start with the "Dear Bigot" emails - 61% polled are concerned that efforts to deport illegal immigrants will end up violating the civil rights of citizens. Also, surprise, surprise, surprise:

Fifty-four percent (54%) of voters say U.S. immigration policy should welcome all except those who are criminal or national security threats. Thirty percent (30%) disagree, and 17% are not sure.

Democrats are less agreeable to this than Republicans. While 65% of GOP voters say the United States should welcome all immigrants but those who pose a criminal or national security threat, just 52% of Democrats and 44% of unaffiliated voters agree.

Also, while nearly a third of Americans are angry about the immigration issue, they are not angry at the immigrants. They are angry at the federal government.

On Cap & Trade, Health Care Reform, and taxes one need only look to the Tea Party movement - a grass roots movement by people,the vast majority of whom have never protested before, expressing their concerns about the political class now in power. Contrary to the blind wishes of the political elites and many in the MSM (Main Stream Media) this is not a movement funded by any political party or advocacy group nor is it small. Instead it seems to be a widespread large scale movement being organized by those very "rubes" the elites likes to dismiss - except for a few weeks during the election cycle. for those of you who have not been following the Tea party Movement, then I would suggest starting at Instapundit - who has a great roundup. A few other random places to checkout for starters are here, here, here, here, and here.

Can't tell you where this disconnect and voter anger at the federal government will lead, but it does strongly indicate that the American people are feed up with the two party system as it is today. So at the very least, it would be a smart thing for those now in power take note - or they may end up voted out of office or being the catalyst for the formation of a third party. Riehl World View puts into words what I've been thinking for awhile now.