THE REAL REASONS WHY THE PUBLIC DOESN'T APPROVE OF THE POLITICIANS IN DC

DAVID BROOKS/NYTIMES:

Researchers from Pew found that 65 percent of Americans are satisfied over all with their own lives — one of the highest rates of personal satisfaction in the world today.

On the other hand, Americans are overwhelmingly pessimistic about their public institutions. That same Pew survey found that only 25 percent of Americans are satisfied with the state of their nation. That 40-point gap between private and public happiness is the fourth-largest gap in the world — behind only Israel, Mexico and Brazil.

WHAT FOLLOWS FROM BROOKS IS NONSENSE.

THE BOTTOM-LINE IS MOST AMERICANS THINK BIG GOVERNMENT HAS UTTERLY FAILED TO DELIVER ON THE BIG ISSUES OF THE DAY:

• FIRST, AMERICANS WANT US TO WIN IN IRAQ AND GET OUT, OR GET JUST GET OUT. UNTIL WE STARTED WINNING WITH THE PETRAEUS SURGE, PEOPLE FELT WE WERE STUCK IN A QUAGMIRE. THE SURGE HAS CHANGED THAT EQUATION. NOW MOST PEOPLE WANT US TO WIN AND GET OUT. BUT THE WAR HAD BEEN A DOWNER FOR EVERYONE: HAWKS THINK BUSH HAS BEEN A WIMP, AND LEFTIES THINK HE HAS BEEN A WAR-CRIMINAL. VICTORY CHANGES ALL THAT, AND WOULD REMOVE THIS DAMPER.

• SECOND, PEOPLE WANT ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION HALTED. THE RECENT ATTEMPTS AT AMNESTY PISSED OFF 75% OF THE PUBLIC AND TURNS THEM OFF TO ALL POLITICIANS. THIS IS A DAMPER ON EVERYTHING ELSE.

• THIRD, AMERICANS HAVE BEEN FOOLED TO BELIEVE THAT WE CAN'T DRILL FOR MORE OIL IN ALASKA OR OFF THE COASTS OF CALIFORNIA AND FLORIDA, AND THAT WE CAN'T BURN MORE COAL MORE CLEANLY, AND THAT WE SHOULDN'T HAVE MORE NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS. THE RESULT IS VERY VERY HIGH ENERGY PRICES, AND THIS IS A DAMPER ON EVERYTHING ELSE.

IF THE GOP WERE MORE CONVINCING IN ARGUING FOR A (1) STRATEGY FOR VICTORY, IF THEY WERE (2) MORE ANTI-ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION, IF THEY HAD (3) A PROGRAM FOR ENERGY DEVELOPMENT - WHICH WOULD LEAD TO LOWER PRICES AND LESS DEPENDENCY ON FOREIGN SUPPLIERS, THEN THE GOP WOULD BE MORE POPULAR.

SO WOULD GOVERNMENT. PEOPLE WOULD LIKE THEIR GOVERNMENT AS MUCH AS THEIR OWN LIVES.

HEY GOP, ARE YOU LISTENING!?