“The aim of every political constitution is, or ought to be, first to obtain for rulers men who possess most wisdom to discern, and most virtue to pursue, the common good of the society; and in the next place, to take the most effectual precautions for keeping them virtuous whilst they continue to hold their public trust.”
The Alleged Tendency of the New Plan to Elevate the Few at the Expense of the Many Considered in Connection with Representation (Federalist No. 57)
From PUBLIUS. As published in The New York Packet.
Tuesday, February 19, 1788
Look Both Ways
Why does it matter who the American public trusts? That question has been of social and political importance since our nation’s founding and it’s what led me to create Route 24. Here’s why.
On February 19, 1788 an essay was published under the pen name PUBLIUS (i.e., Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay) in The New York Packet. Titled The Alleged Tendency of the New Plan to Elevate the Few at the Expense of the Many Considered in Connection with Representation (Federalist No. 57), it served as a roadmap for preserving public trust. The system was designed to work as a two-way street: those committed to public service were presumed to do so in good faith and, in turn, that faith was reciprocated by the American public when it came time to vote. Should abuse of power occur, surely the American people’s spirit of freedom would help to course-correct. What the essay from 1778 didn’t consider was how the American public could fall victim to interference.
In principle, public trust presumed that all elected officials, members of the press, and their institutions upheld the common good for a better society. In practice, public trust hit roadblocks due to the policies and practices of the party in office. According to recent responses shared from Pew Research Center, with the introduction of computers for data analysis in 1958 under then-President Eisenhower, the results of the American National Election Studies (ANES) survey from that year were promising: approximately 73% of Americans believed the government would do the right thing most, if not all, of the time. Yet since 2007, public trust has not exceeded 30%. While such data transparency signals public trust is a policy issue, that framing alone bypasses how interpersonal dynamics impact perception and, in turn, cultural interest.
Exhaustive catchphrases. Roundabout headlines. Endless stretches of commentary. Overwhelmed by competing news engines and without the privilege of time to understand and analyze pressing issues, by April, the American public was almost out of gas on the road to the general election. In online survey results collected from over 10,000 adults across the country as part of Pew Research Center’s American Trends Panel (ATP), 65% of the American public feels as though they’re running on empty when thinking about politics at all. In another combined national survey from ATP, 26% of the American public were double negatives: they responded as feeling equally unfavorable towards Biden and Trump. As Ros Taylor suggests in a TIME excerpt from The Future of Trust, by eroding public trust, the culture of American politics is fueled by fear, not faith. Once that trust is lost, can it be restored? With the Harris-Walz ticket gaining speed in the lead up to November 5th, we’re about to find out.
Check Under The Hood
My name is
, and I founded Millennial Ethics in April 2016 to create original stories that chart a new course for policy conversations between generations. In 2017, I began an independent project, Probable Cause, with Millennial Ethics that merged the lanes of narrative fiction and politics to make sense of national traffic stop data and better understand the communities most affected. Over the years, people powered Probable Cause - from the talent that helped to create the vision to the supporters that helped to amplify it. People who may not always agree, but who were committed to learn from each other. People from different generations, cultures, perspectives, and walks-of-life who worked together in pursuit of a common purpose. That is what represents America at its best. Not the many roadblocks faced, but the stories that help us get around them.Take the Freeway
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Respect the Road
Route 24 is a people-powered story engine where different perspectives are discussed. Policy debates are encouraged, so long as the lanes of disagreement are fact-supported. Hateful discourse will be deleted. Full stop.
Note: All opinions are entirely my own and not necessarily shared in part or in whole by any named persons, brands, or forums. Millennial Ethics is a pro-union entity and all projects are created in solidarity with union workers demands.
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As always, thank you for your support of storytellers, your faith in democracy, and above all, your commitment to humanity.
Stay the course,
Sam
