I’m sipping my coffee and reading about the latest Gallup poll, and folks, I almost spilled my coffee reading this one. It seems that more than three-quarters of Americans think the country’s founders would be disappointed with the US today. I mean, that’s a pretty bleak outlook, if you ask me. The poll found that only 19% of Americans think that the signers of the Declaration of Independence would be pleased by the way the US has turned out, with 77% saying they’d be disappointed. That’s a whole lot of disappointment, if you know what I mean.
I’m looking at the numbers, and it’s clear that this pessimism is largely bipartisan. While Republicans currently take a slightly less dispirited view than Democrats, one-quarter or fewer across party lines think the founders would be pleased. I guess you could say that’s a rare instance of bipartisan agreement, but not exactly the kind we’d like to see. Gallup has been asking this question intermittently since 1999, and the latest reading is the most pessimistic yet. You can’t make this stuff up, folks.
Now, I know some of you might be thinking, “But Big Elephant, what about the good news?” Well, the public’s view isn’t all negative. Around 7 in 10 Americans say that, over the past 250 years, the country has had at least a fair amount of success in achieving its founding ideals. That’s something to hang our hat on, right? Presidential historian Tim Naftali thinks that if the signers of the declaration could witness the United States today, they’d mostly be astonished. He says, “Our language is the same, our principles are the same, but this country is far more powerful, far more diverse, far richer in many respects than I think they could have ever imagined.”
I’m also seeing that Americans view the US with a conflicting mix of pride and concern. In a Marquette Law School poll, 66% of Americans say they’re at least somewhat proud of who we are as a country, but just over half say they’re optimistic about the nation’s future as a democracy. And in a Fox News poll, voters are more likely to consider themselves patriotic than they are to say they’re proud of the country today. It’s like we’re all stuck in this weird limbo, folks. The public is almost universal in calling the right to vote and freedom of speech key to the country’s national identity, per an AP-NORC poll. But just under half – including a majority of Democrats – see that freedom of speech as facing major threats.
As I’m reading through these polls, I’m noticing that pessimism about the country’s direction isn’t new, but it may be growing. In a recent NBC survey, just 38% of US adults say they’re confident that the United States’ best years still lie ahead, down from 45% in a 1990 survey. And 78% of US adults say that the American Dream is harder to attain now than it was a generation ago. It’s enough to make you wonder what’s going on, right? Being an American means different things to different people, according to Ipsos polling earlier this year. Half of US adults, including most of those age 45 and older, said that being an American is an important part of how they think about themselves. A majority of younger adults, by contrast, said it wasn’t something they thought much about.
This year’s Independence Day celebrations are more polarizing than in the past, and President Donald Trump has put his mark on the country’s 250th birthday plans. Per Marquette, 57% of Americans say they’re at least fairly interested in the commemoration. That’s similar to the share who expressed interest in the festivities in a Roper poll 50 years ago, ahead of the 200th anniversary of the declaration. But while there was no real partisan gap in 1976, Republicans today are 33 points likelier than Democrats to say they’re interested. It’s like we’re living in two different countries, folks.
In conclusion, it seems that Americans are feeling pretty down about the country’s direction, but we’re still managing to find some things to be proud of. As we approach our 250th anniversary, it’s clear that we’ve got some work to do to get back on track. And who knows, maybe we’ll surprise the founders with our ability to bounce back from adversity. After all, as the saying goes, “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade” – or in our case, when life gives you a polarizing president, keep on arguing and hope for the best, I guess! 🙄
Armchair patriot. Believes in the free market, cold beer, and that there’s always a guy named George behind every CNN segment.
Former remote-throwing champion turned #1 couch commentator on liberal panic in the media. Born in Texas (or so his mug says), he earned a degree in Fake Newsology & Beer Philosophy from YouTube University.
