Does Congress Finally Get That Business As Usual Should Not Continue?

By Kevin R. Kosar

Nearly everyone is gobsmacked by last night’s election results. But should we really be so surprised? No, because a significant portion of the public has been down on the federal government for a long time.

Candidates for the presidency have been running as change-agents for decades. Jimmy Carter was the first of the recent outsider candidates: he was a Georgia governor with zero Washington experience. Then came Ronald Reagan, whom much of the media wrote off as an actor – until he won. In what must be a painful irony for Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton took the presidency from incumbent George H.W. Bush. His theme? Change. Current President Barack Obama also ran against Washington and promised change.

Donald Trump ran his campaign on the theme of change. He promised to “drain the swamp” and “make America great again.” Hillary Clinton, a former secretary of state and first lady with extensive Washington experience, could not credibly cast herself as a change agent…(Read more at the R Street Institute Blog)

Filed Under:
Topics: Representation & Leadership
Tags: Kevin R. Kosar