A symbolic gesture

Dog running for Congress displays public distrust of government

By: Richard Bray

Posted: 7/9/02

For those who felt Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura's election in 1998 following his career as a professional wrestler was an embarrassment to the U.S. political scene, the election campaign of Percy the dog for a seat in Congress must be infuriating.

Charter boat captain Wayne Genthner from Sarasota, Fla., who named himself Percy's campaign manager, has created a campaign which includes slogans such as "Never made a mess in the House! Never will!" and "Percy! Putting the lick back into Republican." He also says Percy has never been involved in a sex scandal due to his "timely neutering" and will "personally chase down any criminal he sees."

Genthner says he started the campaign to draw attention to voter discontent with the current state of American government, including such issues as corruption and injustices in campaign finance. So far, Genthner has only spent approximately $600, compared to the $1.7 million raised by the front-runner for the position, current Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris.

"No one has a realistic expectation that a dog can get elected," Genthner told Reuters, "but plenty of people will be willing to vote for a dog to represent their discontent with the political system."

Genthner is correct in seeing a public distrust in the government. According to a 1998 survey conducted by the U.S. Bureau of the Census, the percentage of the public expressing "a great deal" or "quite a lot" of confidence in the government was below the percent expressing the same confidence in such notoriously untrustworthy institutions such as major corporations, the media, the military and higher education.

In 1993, Congress passed the National Voter Registration Act under the belief that declining voter participation was due to the difficulty in registering for voting. The act required states to provide voter registration cards at driver's license and motor vehicle bureaus, welfare offices and military recruiting stations. While this act made it easier for voters to register, it had no significant impact on voting participation. This leads to the belief that voter participation is primarily affected by voters' trust in the political system, and the only reason to account for the decline in voter participation is primarily due to distrust in government.

Through this logic, researchers have determined that voter participation is one sign of distrust in the government, and according to a 1998 Bureau of the Census study, the percentage of the voting-age population casting votes in presidential elections has steadily declined, from 60.9 percent in 1968 to 49 percent in the 1996 election. The numbers are even lower in state and local elections.

In the wake of such scandals as California congressman Gary Condit's possible connection to Chandra Levy's death and former President Bill Clinton's sexual relations with Monica Lewinsky, political scandals have been prevalent in the news during the past few years. As a result, it is little wonder that Genthner is disillusioned with the current leadership and believes that others in Florida would be willing to vote for Percy in order to express similar discontent.

Political leaders need to acknowledge that individuals such as Genthner are bringing the issue of political scandal to the public's eye. While scandal is certainly not new in American government, politicians must take note that the American public is taking note and finding new ways in which to protest the political system. Government officials just might be surprised to discover how many votes Percy gets.