When more than 75 percent of Americans believe their country is on the wrong track, the pent-up frustration is like a geyser ready to blow.

This presidential election could be the catalyst for angry voters to lash out at everything “big” – banks, Wall Street, special interests, lobbyists, oil companies and other corporations, not to mention a costly and ineffective federal government.

Americans have rebelled against “big” before. During the Progressive Era of the early 20th century, the country rolled back the excesses of unrestrained corporate power.

Is a new progressive era about to explode today, detonated by revulsion against pig-out greed on Wall Street and negligent oversight in Washington?
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Do leaders really lead in the political arena or do they follow?

I think our system elects followers and calls them leaders. This creates both a false perception and a false expectation.

The false perception is that politicians have answers to our problems. The false expectation is that politicians will pursue answers to our problems. The fact that neither is precisely true drives Americans’ disillusionment with their government when their expectations are unmet.

I know my analysis is cynical and not universally true. But let me explain how I arrive at my conclusion.

I can still remember a well-known client during my political consulting days saying to me, “Clint, tell me what I believe.”
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