Trust in US Congress & media in decline, US may be in transition
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Is the US losing its legitimacy among American voters?
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The decline in trust in the US Congress and US media may enforce a political transition on American grounds.
As the level of trust in Congress and media continues to decline, the US may be facing a shift in political life in the upcoming midterm elections, according to Washington-based Eurasia Center Executive Vice President Earl Rasmussen.
"I think we will see a major shift. Only something like 17% of the country believes that we are on the right path. Moreover, the trust in Congress and the media has continued to decline," Rasmussen said.
On Tuesday, the US will hold midterm elections to determine the forthcoming authority over the US Congress' chambers.
According to Rasmussen, forecasts predict that Republicans will be winning the next elections, Democrats are likely to be facing a major loss in Congress after the elections, whereas the Republicans will be strengthening their positions in the states.
Last week, Biden insisted that Democrats will win the midterm elections in the United States but warned of a challenging two years if polls predicting Republican victory are true.
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Democratic policies have led the United States into worsening inflation in addition to other troubles, mostly connected to the war in Ukraine, Rasmussen explained, adding that the US is participating in a war that has no direct impact on its national security.
US stoking rather than calming conflict in Ukraine
A poll last week showed that 61% of voters thought that Biden was responsible for the inflation. Inflation is the primary problem that people think would influence their voting behavior in the midterm elections.
"The Republicans, while still a minority, are the only ones calling for some type of control on the open checkbook to Ukraine and calling for some degree of accountability of the massive amount of weapons being sent to stoke rather than calm the distant Eastern European conflict," he said.
Rasmussen expressed hope that at least after the election the US would seek a diplomatic solution rather than an escalation of conflict – however, there isn’t much chance of improvement in bilateral relations between the US and Russia.
"Foreign policy, while influenced by Congress, is essentially the role of the administration. Based on the current leadership team, I see no change in the suicidal path policy currently being pursued, hence little chance for any real dialogue of improvement in US-Russian relations," he said.
The Eurasian Center's Executive Vice President further said that the current situation, although inflamed by Biden's administration, has been "smoldering for quite a while." Tackling it successfully will need a major shift in US policy to one of cooperative leadership and respect for other nations' sovereignty.
