Susan Page, USA Today Washington Bureau Chief, appeared on CBS’s Face the Nation and had a surprisingly blunt take on how the public views the federal government.
Speaking to moderator Bob Schieffer, Page maintained that “the Ebola virus and the threat from ISIS are feeding into a sense that a lot of Americans have that the world is not only a dangerous place but that the government is not competent to handle them.”
Page continued to point how Americans continue to lose faith in government:
I mean even the Secret Service controversy I think contributes to that sense. I think it is a very dangerous thing for President Obama, the sense that his administration is not competent to protect the American people.
The USA Today reporter concluded her criticism of the federal government by issuing a warning to Democrats running for reelection in November:
That is the most fundamental job of a U.S. president and I think it is a big factor in the midterm elections. I think it is increasingly -- that set of issues are contributing to a sense that Republicans in particular are trying to tap as we go into these final weeks before the election.
See relevant transcript below.
CBS Face the Nation
October 12, 2014
BOB SCHIEFFER: You know, as we were putting together this broadcast, you know, you always have to do, what do we put first? Do we do this or do we do that? And it occurs to me that both of these stories are really about national security in a very different way, but really both about the health and security of the American people.
SUSAN PAGE: And, you know, I think both of these stories, the Ebola virus and the threat from ISIS are feeding into a sense that a lot of Americans have that the world is not only a dangerous place but that the government is not competent to handle them. I mean even the Secret Service controversy I think contributes to that sense.
I think it is a very dangerous thing for President Obama, the sense that his administration is not competent to protect the American people. That is the most fundamental job of a U.S. president and I think it is a big factor in the midterm elections. I think it is increasingly -- that set of issues are contributing to a sense that Republicans in particular are trying to tap as we go into these final weeks before the election.
