Cries of Dissent And Discontent Resonate
A Devilish Cocktail of Distrust and Defiance
In America, you can’t fight city hall, your papers are never in order, and the powerful play by their own rules. Or so the sayings go. Mark Twain famously said, "There is no distinctly native American criminal class except Congress." As we navigate a landscape of seemingly systemic corruption, this quip feels more relevant than ever. It leaves me considering an old idiom, “Better the devil you know than the devil you don't," and whether our impatience with our old devils will tempt us to dance with another.
The trio of Jody Hendryx, Gaia Lamb, and Dale Young, recently chronicled in Eliza Collins’ Wall Street Journal article "RFK Jr. Voters Span MAGA to Liberal—Making Them an Election Wildcard," epitomize a nation’s disillusionment. Their political pasts are divergent. Their futures? Not so much.
In 2020, Hendryx, 67 years old, voted for Donald Trump. Lamb, 81, threw down for Joe Biden. Young, 69, said he hadn’t been registered to vote for 50 years. He plans to vote for Kennedy this fall.
This unlikely threesome exemplifies the unpredictable impact of Kennedy’s presidential bid. He creates challenges for both the Democratic president and his Republican opponent. Many swing state and national polls indicate Kennedy siphons off just a bit more from Trump than Biden. However, a recent Wall Street Journal poll in Arizona reveals he hurts both candidates equally.
RFK Jr. supporters like Hendryx, Lamb, and Young embody a broader trend of political dissatisfaction and distrust that spans the American electorate. This discontent is not confined to one side of the political spectrum; it permeates every corner of the nation. As Oliver Anthony's song "Rich Men North of Richmond" suggests, “It's a damn shame what the world's gotten to,” capturing the sentiment of many who feel let down by the political establishment. They do their business or “work” north of Richmond in the nation’s capital.
In "The Intersection of Distrust and Ignorance," I explored the growing desire for a third political party, a sentiment that 63% of Americans now share, according to a Gallup poll. This yearning for an alternative to the traditional two-party system reflects a deep-rooted dissatisfaction with the current state of American politics. The numbers reveal a nation disillusioned with its leaders and desperate for change.
The late Pat Caddell, a political strategist with decades of experience I worked with for years, often spoke about this pervasive discontent. He believed that the American people have grown increasingly unhappy since the 1970s. This sentiment was vividly captured during the 2016 presidential campaign when we described the political landscape as a "trough filled with discontent" with Trump and Sanders feeding from opposite ends.
This trough metaphor illustrates a political spectrum where both the right and left share a common source of dissatisfaction. Kennedy's eclectic mix of supporters—ranging from Trump voters to Biden voters to those who have long been disengaged from the political process—demonstrates that this discontent is not limited to one ideology or party.
The song "Rich Men North of Richmond" resonates with many because it speaks to the universal feeling of being let down by those in power. Anthony's lyrics, “Lord knows they all just wanna have total control,” reflect a distrust of both Republicans and Democrats. This distrust has fueled a powerful combination of skepticism and cynicism, as highlighted in my piece, "The Trough of Discontent."
We all have a personal encounter that feeds our anger: a ticket for driving in a bus lane despite clear evidence to the contrary, a fine you can’t fight despite innocence, so you give up and pay. It isn’t just the government. A sense that we are working harder for less is in the air, and many Americans share this sentiment about both the public theater of government and the private courts of business.
The pandemic further eroded this trust. Headlines about healthcare workers' reluctance to get vaccinated despite the vaccine's proven safety highlight a deep-seated distrust in the system. Natural debate and confusion about the danger and best practices for safety were prayed on by bad actors, with the messages buoyed by technology and motivated by greed or worse. It’s not hard to strike a chord with our communities. Distrust is not unfounded; it is borne from years of seeing the system falter and fail, supported by even casual attention to history. From the Tuskegee Experiment to the EPA's false assurances about the air quality at Ground Zero after 9/11, history is littered with examples of what can be called betrayal.
This generational distrust is compounded by the abundance of information in the digital age. We are bombarded with conflicting messages and left to navigate a sea of misinformation. The age of information has not made us more knowledgeable or content; instead, it has left us drunk on skepticism.
Much like Sanders' and Trump’s campaigns in 2016, Kennedy's campaign taps into this widespread discontent. His supporters are drawn to his skepticism of vaccines and pharmaceutical companies, his stance against foreign wars, and his willingness to challenge major corporations and government agencies. These issues resonate with people who feel that their concerns are not being addressed by the traditional political establishment.
In "The Trough of Discontent," I wrote, "The politicians we vote for are, apparently, at best aloof and at worst malicious. These leaders govern over a modern life that is painfully disorienting. Far too many of us see little or no return on our substantial investment." This sentiment is echoed in Anthony’s lyrics, “I've been sellin' my soul, workin' all day. Overtime hours for bullshit pay. So I can sit out here and waste my life away.”
The discontent with the current state of American politics is palpable. People are not only disillusioned but also increasingly desperate for change. The idea of a third party is gaining traction because many Americans feel that the existing leaders, "The Rich Men North of Richmond," are incapable or uninterested in solving their problems. This discontent is the common thread that ties Kennedy’s supporters to those who backed Trump and Sanders in 2016.
As we navigate this intersection of distrust and ignorance, it is clear that the American people are seeking new paths and new leaders. Whether a third party will be the solution remains to be seen. What is certain is that the dissatisfaction with the current political system is not going away. The inhabitants of any new political movement will need to prove that they can resist the corrupting force of power and truly represent the interests of the people. Some will. Most won't. Power corrupts.
In the end, the devil is in the details. The discontent that drives people to seek alternatives is fueled by a history of broken promises and systemic failures. As Oliver Anthony's song suggests, "Lord, it’s a damn shame." Indeed, it is a shame that so many Americans feel let down by their leaders. But it is also a call to action, a reminder that the fight for a better future is far from over.
An ill-prepared charismatic candidate shouldn't be the least of our concerns. As much damage as an individual can do, nothing compares to giving up on the democratic process. It might seem hyperbolic or cinematic to talk about civil war, but talk is where all the worst and best things find beginnings. The dilemma is that many Americans seem willing to try something new, even a less-than-ideal option. Will we forsake the devil we know for the devil we don’t? Especially when the devil we know has burned us enough or more than we can take.
Don’t be fooled; as bad as you think things might be, they can get worse. Temptations in the form of an apparent outsider can grow, replaced by temptations of an entirely new way of governance. Rumblings of civil war and cessation of certain states bounce around increasingly. Consider that Mark Twain quote we began with… Twain died in 1910—our issues with leadership aren’t new. People are patient, but patience is perishable.