I’ve often wondered why people I know and meet do not seem to be as outraged as I am when it comes to the scandals emanating from the Obama administration.
One view might be that some of them have soured on politics, and see the scandals of one kind or another as common no matter what the political party. Others are simply oblivious to the news and have become part of the low-information crowd, like the Iowa Democrats who see Hillary Clinton as honest and trustworthy.
Cartoon courtesy of cagle.com
After considerable thought, I don’t believe there is a single answer, but I wonder if it’s because they are so removed from the events that they falsely believe those scandals don’t affect them personally. They just cannot relate to the Benghazi lies, the IRS targeting of conservative groups, the $6 billion unaccounted for in the State Department, the Lerner and Clinton e-mails, and the executive orders on illegal immigrants.
When a scandal hits close to home, however, it’s a different story. The scandalous treatment uncovered at the Phoenix VA, for example. And until recently, I believe you could ask average Arizonans for their take on the six-figure contributions, from Fortune 500 companies and from foreign governments, made to the Clinton Foundation and you would see deer in the headlights expressions. But when it became local news, it awakened the populace.
It was revealed that Arizona State University donated $500,000 to the Clintons for the right to host the Clinton Global Initiative University event last year. ASU’s president Michael Crow called it a worthwhile marketing expense, citing the university is for “outcomes, about creating master learners in a university of thought and prepared for any path.”
ASU president Michael Crow greets Hillary Clinton after shelling out $500,000 for the privilege of hosting the Clinton Global Initiative University. (azcentralcom)
There was a flurry of angry letters to the editor, with references to the university’s earlier announcement that it is attaching a $320 surcharge to tuition in the fall just to get by.
New information has surfaced that is likely to again stir the pot. It seems as though Tulane University, the University of Texas and George Washington University paid nothing to host the Clinton Initiative in recent years.
I hesitate to blame the lack of outrage over the scandals on apathy. If someone is apathetic they are usually knowledgeable, but just couldn’t care less. I firmly believe we have a nation of low-information people. If we could only find a way to keep them from voting. Maybe we have. Just 36 percent of eligible voters voted in the 2014 mid-terms.
