Founding Fathers Would Be Disappointed In U.S., Say Proud Americans

It was only last month that we highlighted a Gallup poll which showed that only 10% of the US population are pleased with Congress. In that article, we lamented the fact that despite a history of low voter approval, Congresspersons often enjoy a 90+% reelection rate. But that disapproval rate is not the only thing working against Congress at this point.

A new Gallup poll shows that a record low number of US citizens believe the Founding Fathers would be displeased with the state of the US today. Only 27% of people polled believe that the Founding Fathers would approve of how the US is operating today. This is down significantly from the 2001 high of 54%.

When broken down by political leanings, the poll shows that more Republicans and Independents feel this way than Democrats. 42% of Democrats feel that the Founding Fathers would be pleased compared to 12% of Republicans and 24% of Independents.

In stark contrast to this question, 85% of people polled are either extremely proud or very proud to be American. One would think that this would be contradictory in nature. How can one be both proud of being an American but disapprove of its government so greatly? In reality, it is not that hard to believe. People love the US, even if they don’t like the people running it. This just shows that people’s value of themselves is far removed from their political feelings.

Of course the real question is, what can we expect to see happen in the coming elections? While a general distaste for government have led to protests such as Occupy Wall Street and the Tea Party movement, very little has changed in Congress. This past election saw about a 90% reelection rate among those seeking reelection. If nothing changes in the ballot box, can we really expect the public’s thoughts on government to change?

It would be great if all those proud Americans were to take action and use the ballot box to turn this country back into something they feel the Founding Fathers and they themselves would be pleased. This is where voting for alternative candidates come in to play. Each election year, there are Independents and candidates from alternative parties running. They want to change the US for the better, but it is up to us voters to give them a chance.