LETTERS: THE SPLIT PERSONALITY OF AMERICAN VOTERS

To the editor:

Some of us knew it all along. Others are just now discovering it. Still others have not become aware of it. What's that? It's the dual or split personality of American voters. It was Ronald Reagan who crystallized this as he firmly declared "government is the problem" and he and the Democrat-controlled Congress embarked on the greatest spending binge of all time. America loved it and still does, while vowing to curb it. Bad-mouthing the government became the virtual mantra of the New Conservatism and still is.

Now comes George W. Bush who seems to shoot a hole in this scenario by exhorting his party to refrain from disdaining our government in explaining his newly fashioned compassionate conservatism. This has apparently upset important Republican Party members. Where did he get the idea? Is he one of those who has just awakened to the reality of voters wanting things both ways? Is he selling out to the Democrats? Certainly his 50 million-plus contributors have been aware of this paradox of thinking among American voters. They know -- and have always known -- that keeping this alive will best serve their interests. Hence their overwhelming contributions to Bush's campaign.

It is interesting to note that prior to the emergence of Bush's compassionate-conservatism idea, Albert and Susan Cantril published a book, "Reading Mixed Signals: Ambivalence in American Public Opinion About Government." This volume points out articulately the dual personality of the American voter. Americans decry the nature of our government yet vigorously support programs they fancy. This certainly illustrates how officeholders often can bring off a political contradiction and still survive. Witness Bill Clinton.

Evidence suggests that it is impossible to categorize voters in simplistic terms of liberal or conservative. It is possible that those who send mixed signals about government will continue to hold the balance of power in American politics. What does this portend for the kinds of legislation and programs in the coming time, given the unknown qualities and quantities of the future? Maybe Bush has caught on.

GILBERT DEGENHARDT

Cape Girardeau