Are America’s Best Days Behind Us?

Unfortunately, for a lot of Americans that answer is “yes.”

Forty-one percent (41%) of Americans believe that our nation’s best days remain ahead of us. A Rasmussen Reports survey of 1,000 Likely Voters found that 42% disagree and say that our best days have already come and gone (see crosstabs).
That’s a far less optimistic assessment than we found in January 2004. At that time, 48% thought the best was yet to come while 35% took the opposite view. In January 2005 a survey of adults found that 42% took the optimistic view and 38% were pessimistic.

It’s little wonder Americans feel this way what with the news stories on their televisions being nothing but negative day in and day out. We are told that the economy stinks, even though it doesn’t really. We are told that the war on terror is our fault, though it isn’t. And we are told that we are losing in Iraq, even though we’re losing there only because we believe we’re losing. I’m not sure what other way people could feel than down and negative.
Of course, that’s probably going to change. Now that the Democrats are in you can count on the tone of reporting on subjects like the economy to change. You wait and see. In the weeks and months after Democrats officially take charge it’s going to be like the clouds have lifted and the sun is shining when you open your newspapers.