"Rot at the top" proves fertile soil

A coalition of blacks and affluent whites turned back David Duke's bid to be governor of Louisiana. The fact that Duke received less than 40% of the votes is reassuring, given pre-election forecasts of a Duke victory or a close race.

On the other hand, the fact than an ex-Klansman, ex-Nazi and certifiable bigot could garner nearly two out of five votes should be a matter of concern to all Americans.

Interpreters of what happened in Louisiana have been quick to talk about racism. While racism was clearly a factor, there were other forces at work here. The Duke vote was also a protest by those who feel they are getting the short end of the stick from an out-of-touch government.

In 1987, Harvard political economist Robert Reich wrote Tales of the New America, a little noticed but arguably one of the more insightful books of the 1980s. Reich suggests that successful leaders in business and government in America tend to link their appeals to one or more of four major themes:

The first is the "mob at the gate" -- themes like the "yellow peril," communism and the Red menace, or the "flood" of foreign imports. Richard Nixon and Richard Gephardt are both mob-at-the-gate guys.

The second is "the triumphant individual," best illustrated by Horatio Alger stories, Abe Lincoln and the lives of those who overcome adversity to see another day. The presidential campaigns of Tom Harkin and Bob Kerrey rely on this theme, which is also a central theme played by the publicists of industrialist Ross Perot.

The third is "community solidarity." This is the idea invoked by Franklin Roosevelt when he said, "We have nothing to fear but fear itself."

The fourth is "rot at the top," a populist idea that says leaders betray their followers, that leaders can be tempted into serving their own interests and not the common interest. Huey Long, George Wallace, Bill Bennett and Jesse Jackson are rot-at-the-top politicians; T. Boone Pickens, the champion of stockholder rights, invokes rot-at-the-top themes in business.

Earlier this year a study by the respected Kettering Foundation found that the American people are not alienated from government; they are angry with government. Many among the butcher, the baker and the automaker look at government and see "rot at the top." Government, they say, is not doing its job.

Examples,: The S&L bailout is costing billions, while those who ripped off the system go unpunished. The budget deficit climbs, reflecting Congress's insatiable appetite for spending money. Government denies choices to kids who want to get out of bad schools into good schools; only rich kids have choices in education. Medical costs are skyrocketing, while many go without insurance.

Proposals to expand the economic pie are stymied by those who would rather redistribute redistribute the pie. Red tape and federal mandates are increasingly onerous, leading to endless litigation; destroying the jobs of loggers, miners and factory workers; and robbing our economy of productivity increases.

Members of Congress, meanwhile, are preoccupied with raising money for re-election and expanding their perks and privileges. Concern for the national interest is hard to find.

This situation is tailor-made for a classic "rot at the top" appeal, an appeal with deep roots in American political culture. Sometimes it has racial overtones. Sometimes not. But surely some who voted on the worn side of the Louisiana landslide represent the silent screams of people who've had it with established leadership and the status quo.