By Jeremy Zogby, Partner at John Zogby Strategies
A stunning new poll of 1,000 US adults conducted on August 16 probes the political landscape to test if Americans can find common ground on anything – a must-read for K Street lobbies, policymakers, and strategists.
Currently, division and mistrust plague our political and cultural landscape. But beneath all of it, there is great opportunity to build unity.
Back in October of 2020, I explored the issue of common ground by testing whether the public could get behind two major reforms – term limits for Congress, Senate, and federal bureaucrats in which 83% agree (see page 4). The other issue asked about support for removing all Corporate PAC money from campaigns and elections – 87% agree (also see page 4).
Fast forward to August of 2021. Can we still find a supermajority over any issue among Americans amidst hyper-polarization? And over what kind of issues?
A question from the latest Zogby Strategies poll conducted on August 16th, 2021 asked would you support or oppose a law that required high-level federal bureaucrats to wear body cameras while at work? The idea came from the mistrust that resulted recently over a wave of police brutality.
The question comes during an all-time high of mistrust towards government. Would Americans support high-level federal bureaucrats to require them to wear body cams at work as many police officers do throughout the country in order to regain trust?
Overall, 78% of US adults support such reform. Among Democrats, 80% support. Among Republicans, 79% support. And for Independents, 72% support.
In other words, Democrats, Republicans, and Independents all come together and form supermajorities when it comes to overhauling the status quo. This should be the top story of the year.
A brief review:
–83% of likely voters support term limits for Congress, Senate, and federal bureaucrats.
–87% of likely voters support removing corporate PAC money from campaigns and elections.
–78% of adults support body cams for high-level federal bureaucrats.
–Each issue represents a major overhaul of the status quo.
An old saying goes, when the students are ready, the teacher arrives.
Can leadership of the two major parties provide that teacher? Or Will the 3rd party candidate please stand up?
