Angry Trump voters are an anomaly; most Americans say life is pretty good
Is American greatness a relic of the past or a reality of the present?
If Republicans fumble this fundamental question and become the party of gripes and gloom, they will blow their chance of 2016 victory and imperil the party’s long-term survival. The American people might feel deeply dissatisfied with governmental gridlock and political corruption, but they remain surprisingly positive about their personal circumstances.
Why, then, do pundits prattle on about the rage of the electorate, and how did anger-candidate Donald Trump defeat his GOP rivals? Media messages certainly shaped the outcome: Television journalists don’t function as a news business; they’re part of the
bad news business. Crime, natural disasters and dire predictions make for more riveting broadcasts than reports on happy families and functional schools.
In January, Gallup found only 23% who approved of “the way things are going ” in the nation in general, but near record numbers (85%) said they were satisfied with “the way things are going in (their) personal (lives)”; an amazing 53% described themselves as “very satisfied.” In this context, catering to the scant 6% who see themselves as “very dissatisfied” with their lot will make it difficult to build a majority.
It’s the GOP’s sour mood that separates the party from the optimism that’s part of the national character. A March survey by Pew Research found 70% of self-de- scribed “conservative Republicans” who agreed with the statement: “Compared with 50 years ago, life in America today for people like (me) is worse.”
As a matter of fact, 50 years ago crime rates were rising with dramatic intensity, urban riots paralyzed cities across the country, and the Vietnam War brought 529 monthly combat deaths on average in 1966.
Every measure of human welfare has shown dramatic improvement since. Enhanced medical care means life expectancy has increased from 70 years to 79 years. Median income, adjusted for inflation, has increased by a third. More than 30% of adults now hold bachelor’s degrees, compared with fewer than 10% a half-century ago.
Most Americans understand that their nation remains the envy of the world despite an often unworthy government, not because of it. A promise to “Make America Great Again” may play to a nostalgic sense of loss among the most disgruntled element of the electorate, but a commitment to make America even greater than it already is will work better in broadening the base.
A mere eight years ago, President Obama won a mighty landslide by promoting “hope and change.” Despite considerable disappointment with his performance in office, Trump’s true believers can’t succeed in November by replacing hope and change with mope and cringe.