Public opinion of political appointees jumps after terrorist attacks

Americans now have a more favorable opinion of political appointees than they do of other federal employees, according to a new survey conducted by the Brookings Institution after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Nearly 80 percent of Americans now view political appointees favorably, up from 60 percent in a similar survey conducted by Brookings' Presidential Appointee Initiative in July. Prior to Sept. 11, Americans had a higher opinion of federal employees than of political appointees, with 70 percent of respondents viewing the career workforce favorably. That figure has been bumped to 76 percent in the wake of the terrorist attacks. But the report, which Brookings will release Friday, noted that federal employees were rated as the most favorable group by respondents in July, and therefore had less room to move than their counterparts. Both surveys rated the opinions of 1,000 respondents about President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, members of Congress, political appointees and federal employees. Respondents to the new survey had a more favorable opinion of federal employees than members of Congress and Cheney. The public's overall trust in government jumped 17 percent from July to October. The report attributed the higher marks for political appointees to the respondents' increased confidence in President Bush and their belief that appointees play a critical role during times of crisis. The public's confidence in Bush appointees is second only to its faith in the President himself, which jumped from 57 percent in July to 83 percent in October. The government's response to the current crisis will determine whether the public's confidence in its leaders remains high, according to Judith M. Labiner, the report's author and deputy director of Brookings' Center for Public Service. "We are really seeing a rally-around effect right now," Labiner said. "How the government reacts to the national crisis at this point will reflect the public's level of confidence in the future." According to the survey, the increased visibility of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld since Sept. 11 also may have had an impact on the more favorable view of political appointees. Americans who correctly named Rumsfeld as Defense Secretary doubled from 20 percent in July to 40 percent in October. But opinions about why people choose public service careers did not change much. In the new survey, 68 percent of respondents thought that people picked government service because of job security, as opposed to 26 percent who said federal employees are working for Uncle Sam out of altruism. In the July survey, those numbers were 70 percent and 22 percent, respectively. In contrast, 86 percent of respondents surveyed after Sept. 11 said political appointees are in government out of a desire to help the public, up 12 percent from July. Americans also saw appointees as more intelligent, capable, patriotic, hardworking and honest after the terrorist attacks. Labiner said the high visibility of political appointees like Rumsfeld is one reason that the trend has remained fairly constant. "We have seen the appointees on TV all the time [since Sept. 11], but the public does not have an opportunity to see most federal employees working," she said.