Everything bad in US is Republicans’ fault

If you feel like everything is out of control and nothing is working, you’re not alone. It’s also exactly how the Republican Party would like you to feel – whether you’re a Republican, a Democrat or an independent.

Gallup has released new data showing that people’s faith in almost every institution in American life – the government, the media, the medical system, the police, organized religion and many others – has not only declined over the past year but in some cases is now lower than at any time since they began asking questions about such confidence over four decades ago:

This year’s poll marks new lows in confidence for all three branches of the federal government – the Supreme Court (25%), the presidency (23%) and Congress. Five other institutions are at their lowest points in at least three decades of measurement, including the church or organized religion (31%), newspapers (16%), the criminal justice system (14%), big business (14%) and the police.

The reasons for these long-term declines – often very good reasons – are different for different institutions. Confidence in banks plunged after the 2008 financial crisis, for example, while confidence in the church has been eroded by multiple sexual misconduct scandals. And we should note that this latest poll was conducted before the court overturned Roe v. Wade.

Smart Republicans know this is great for them and their electoral prospects. It’s about two different views of government – but that’s only part of the story.

On the simplest level, anything that convinces people that government is incapable of solving their problems is good for the party that dislikes government, especially with a Democrat in the White House. Dysfunction, gridlock, a string of crises the federal government seems powerless to solve – all of this makes it more likely that voters will go to the polls in the midterms to throw the bums out, regardless of whether the sitting bums caused the problems, or whether the other party’s bums have any better ideas.

But it goes deeper than this president and this next election. Republicans benefit from a general sense that things don’t work. Their worldview is built around the idea that each of us is on our own and out for ourselves. Lost your job? Too bad, it was probably your fault, and don’t go asking the government for help. You got sick? Bad luck, but don’t expect the medical system to help. You can’t trust the police and it’s a chaotic world out there? You’d better buy some guns.

In the darker versions of this vision, we’re all atomized and disconnected, with no obligations outside our tightest circles and no one to rely on. And if you think there’s an institution out there that will help you, you’re a fool.