Copyright Chicago Tribune
We spend a lot of time talking about the problem of polarization in today’s politics. If you get right down to it, however, most of that happens, well, at the fringes — either end of the pole, if you will. What’s more normal, in our experience, is for the average American to question whether either political party cares about regular people at all. Recent polling bears that out, and is particularly unfavorable for Democrats. The Searchlight Institute asked Americans which political party they believe wants them to have certain hallmarks of a good life — things such as wealth, marriage and kids. On every measure but one — “feeling stable in your personal life” — more respondents chose Republicans. Yet on no issue did a majority of Americans believe either party genuinely wants those outcomes for them, reflecting broad and growing distrust in both sides. The poll also found that independent voters prioritize affordability above all else. Searchlight is a new think tank that has Democrat ties. Its founder, Adam Jentleson, is a longtime Democratic Party strategist who founded Searchlight to push back toward issues Americans care about most. So stipulated, and with that in mind we take all of this with the proverbial grain of salt. Still, we weren’t surprised to see what people’s responses showed. More poll respondents said that of the two parties, Republicans, not Democrats, want them to be able to build an adult life (own a home, own a vehicle, start a family). These are the same priorities respondents said they have for their own lives. No matter how much people try to paint white picket fences and minivans as square, the reality is they’re still — directionally — what most people want. If Jentleson’s aim is to moderate an increasingly radical Team Blue, this certainly equips him with a solid rationale. “Democrats are also clearly failing to articulate a vision that champions the personal achievements and prosperity that most Americans seek throughout their lives — and that’s something that the party will have to grapple with,” Searchlight authors conclude. Also interesting is to note how respondents view each party’s top issues. Republicans came out as the party of immigration issues, crime, foreign policy, taxes and the economy. Democrats? They were viewed as the party focused on gun control, racism, health care, housing and abortion. People are searching for grown-ups willing to step up and lead on both sides, but especially on the left. They want a political ecosystem that yields an America in which people can afford to live. We didn’t need polling to understand that, but it doesn’t hurt to see the numbers bear it out. We hope party leadership is listening.
