Teflon` power elite? Why do the rulers' scandals disclosed by the media (not) always mobilize Polish public opinion?

Abstract

The aim of the article is to indicate the causes of a new phenomenon in Polish domestic politics, namely the "Teflon" power elite. This term denotes the resistance of the groups making up the United Right camp to scandalous accusations made publicly by the media, that are unprecedented on such a scale. The scandals resulting from journalistic investigations, unlike in the times of previous ruling teams in Poland, did not cause a clear decline in the support of the current ruling elite, let alone its collapse. The article presents the definition of a political scandal. Moreover, the author discusses the reasons for the unflagging popularity of the current government, including: economic, propaganda and educational issues, the ruling populism, the opposition's communication inefficiency, society's fatigue with scandals and citizens' lack of sensitivity to the manifestations of the pathology of the government institutions. In the study of this issue, the microsystem analysis and the decision-making method were used.