A Crisis of Confidence in America's Leadership Class

The latest Allstate/National Journal Heartland Monitor Poll is out today, and it shows it’s not just the Tea Party; Americans across the board are having a crisis of confidence with national leadership in politics, government and business. But disillusionment with those at the top is also fueling a more positive dynamic at the local level. Can problems be solved from the bottom up rather than from the top down? Are states and localities likely to reach consensus on solving the nation’s problems? Ron Brownstein is editorial director of the National Journal.