Utter Contempt in Both Directions

Johns Hopkins University political scientists Jennifer Bachner and Benjamin Ginsberg have done a survey of Washington bureaucrats - civil servants, not presidential appointees - and reported their findings in a new book: What Washington Gets Wrong. Washington Post blogger Jeff Guo quotes their conclusion:

Many civil servants expressed utter contempt for the citizens they served. Further, we found a wide gulf between the life experiences of ordinary Americans and the denizens of official Washington. We were left deeply worried about the health and future of popular government in the United States.

To be fair, many "served" citizens have utter contempt for civil servants, too.