I normally hate anything bipartisan, because if both corrupt political parties agree on something then chances are their corporate masters spent a lot of money in order to screw the people with it.

However, like any rule, exceptions always exist.

In this case the exception is corruption. Or more specifically, anti-corruption.



But a new poll suggests there’s another message that works even better: The Trump administration and the Republican Party are hopelessly corrupt and incapable of governing because of it. As Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in May, “The swamp has never been more foul, or more fetid, than under this president.”

...

Conducted the first week of July, the poll found 54 percent of voters across 48 GOP-controlled congressional districts said Republicans are “more corrupt” than Democrats, with 46 percent arguing that Democrats were more corrupt. Independents are even tougher on the GOP: 60 percent of independents polled said that Republicans are responsible for the majority of corruption taking place in Washington. Moreover, 56 percent of Republicans said Congress is not checking the Trump administration enough, and 57 percent of independents agree. Interestingly, the corruption message seems particularly effective with white voters without college educations, while a focus on jobs and health care works well with nonwhite voters and supporters of Hillary Clinton.

Imagine that! An issue that resonates with the white working class that doesn't involve religion, guns, or race. An issue that practically no one can slander - eliminating corruption in politics.

Not only that, but the Democrats already have a lead on the issue before doing anything to deserve it. It's an early Christmas present, and this poll was done in battleground districts!

The public is paying attention, and is sick of it.



“The fact that you have these recurring Cabinet scandals, the fact that it keeps happening over and over again, it registers,” said Jesse Lee, spokesman for the CAP, the progressive policy group that commissioned the GBA Strategies poll. “People understand it’s been taken to a new level. There’s no check on it anymore. Trump isn’t pushing back on Congress to keep it under control. Congress isn’t pushing back on Trump.”

Lee pointed to the poll’s 4-point Democratic lead on the generic ballot as a notable shift from the last two cycles, where he said Republicans led in the same districts by an average of 14 points.

So the question is, as always, how will the Dems blow it?

For starters, Democrats have been blowing it for years.

What was the public's greatest fear in 2016?

Terrorism? The Economy? Russia? A new season of The Kardashians?

Nope and nope.

It's government corruption.



As the presidential election campaign drags on, it may come as no surprise that corrupt government officials are one of the greatest fears many Americans have, according to a new study.



This isn't an aberration. As many as 81% of Americans think the government is corrupt.



75% and 81% means this isn't a partisan topic.

Normally the voter's greatest fear would be the topic for endless policy debates, committee meetings, and political pundits yelling at each other.

Instead we've gotten an oppressive silence in Washington and the news media.

It's as if the entire establishment doesn't want to talk about the most important issue on people's minds.

The second way the Dems will blow it is by a weak response.

The Democratic establishment has been trying to shove issues down our throats, like Russiagate, that people simply don't give a sh*t about.

Because of this, the Democratic Party has literally never been more unpopular.

Finally, years too late, the Democrats realized that a winning issue slapped them across the face.



In response, Democrats are making anti-corruption part of their midterm messaging, adding an anti-corruption plank to the party’s “A Better Deal” proposal announced in February and arguing for improved ethics legislation on the basis of continued corrupt behavior in government — mainly by members of the Trump administration

It's interesting what is contained in that "anti-corruption plank".



Empower the American Voter to Ensure Responsive Government. We must protect every citizen’s right to vote, safeguard our election infrastructure from hostile actors and put an end to partisan redistricting.

Strengthen Our Nation’s Ethics Laws to Fight Special Interests. We must end the revolving-door in Washington and rein in the influence of high-powered Washington insiders, lobbyists and big-money donors – and the special interests that are driving Washington’s agenda.

Fix Our Broken Campaign Finance System to Combat Big Money Influence. We must break the stranglehold on our democracy by wealthy and well-connected campaign donors by empowering everyday Americans and ending the scourge of unaccountable “dark money” unleashed by Citizens United.

In other words, it's all the stuff the progressive insurgents in the Democratic Party have been running on, in opposition to the Democratic Party establishment.

Just more vague and without specifics.

The corrupt Dem establishment simply lifted these ideas, and to some degree even the wording, off of the grassroots movements they are trying to defeat.

Either way, it's not a catchy phrase like "drain the swamp". And by being non-specific, it's easily forgettable.

So what should the Dems do? The clue is right in the poll.



The polling suggests that the Republican tax cuts — and loopholes tapped by some of the same members who voted for the plan — may be an area ripe for exploitation. Of those surveyed, 75 percent responded that it was “serious” or “very serious” that 53 Republicans in Congress would “get an average tax cut of over $200,000 each from a single loophole they added to the tax bill at the last minute.”

So do you want to see how a real master would create an easy to understand anti-corruption message that everyone would love?

Just look south of the border.

I give to you Mexican President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.



Mexican President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador says he plans to earn less than half of what his predecessor makes when he takes office in December as part of an austerity push in government... Glancing at a piece of paper with numbers on it, Lopez Obrador said he will take home 108,000 pesos a month, which is $5,707 at current exchange rates, and that no public official will be able to earn more than the president during his six-year term. The transition team calculates that current Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto makes 270,000 pesos a month. Lopez Obrador said he'd like to reduce his salary even further, but that he doesn't want to cause resentment among future Cabinet members who are in some cases leaving private-sector positions and academic posts that pay more than the new ceiling for public officials. He reiterated campaign promises to cut back on taxpayer-funded perks for high-level government officials, such as chauffeurs, bodyguards and private medical insurance. The official presidential residence will become a cultural center and ex-presidents will no longer receive pensions, he said. At the same time, he doubled down on pledges to stem corruption...

Public officials will have to disclose their assets, he said, and corruption will be considered a serious offense.

Slam Dunk!

Now THAT'S how you do it!