By Andy Brack
America’s traditional mom-and-apple-pie values appear to be in better shape than many talking heads and pundits decry, according to a big new national poll.
That’s good – particularly in times of too much news about fissures for democracy, including former President Donald Trump’s criminal tribulations, current President Joe Biden’s and Trump’s ages, a do-nothing Congress and the U.S. Supreme Court’s continuing ethical gaffes.
This new Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll of 1,282 people shows most Americans still agree on core national values.
“There’s a lot more convergence [about issues] than you might imagine,” University of Chicago political science professor Michael Alobertus told the AP.
When asked about the importance of certain bedrock American principles, freedoms and rights, an overwhelming majority of Americans responded these were extremely important or important to our national identity:
- The right of equal protection under law: 91%;
- The right to vote: 91%;
- Freedom of speech: 90%;
- The right to privacy: 88%;
- Freedom of religion: 84%; and
- The freedom to assemble peaceably, 83%.
But in our polarized political environment where mass shootings are an almost daily occurrence, it wasn’t surprising how only 54% of those polled said they found the right to keep and bear arms to be important.
“The results, which included perspectives on a number of different freedoms and rights, have only small variances between Republicans and Democrats except on the right to bear arms, which Republicans are more likely to see as core to the nation’s identity,” said a story about the poll. “The overall findings are striking because they come at a time of extreme partisanship when political agreements seem rare and concerns are heightened over the potential for violence during a volatile presidential election year.”
Other findings: Three in four Americans believe a democratically-elected government is extremely or very important, while about 80% believe the same about Americans having a chance to get good jobs and realize the American dream.
As you might expect, the poll didn’t have only good news. More Americans – about half – said they thought the country’s democracy was functioning poorly, compared to the third who thought it was functioning well. Also, younger Americans were not as likely to have as rosy of a view of traditional American values as older Americans.
Impact in South Carolina
These attitudes of supporting American democracy, particularly after the turmoil during and after the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, may be impacting South Carolina.
Hundreds of candidates filed for Statehouse, local government, Congress and other offices in the last half of March. In June, some 526 candidates will meet in primaries across the state. Even more will face opponents from other parties in November.
In Charleston County, for example, 16 women candidates filed, spurred on in large part by the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade abortion decision. During a multi-candidate press conference this week, Charleston Democrats seemed more energized than in years.
“We are the ones working for the people,” said Democratic state Rep. Spencer Wetmore of Folly Beach. “We are the ones that make progress. Unfortunately, the Republicans have lost touch with the people of South Carolina.”
At the Statehouse, all 170 legislative seats are up for grabs. The 124-seat House, where Republicans hold a 2-1 majority over Democrats, is sure to remain in Republican control. But the Senate, where Republicans enjoy a similar majority, may be more in play as Democrats would have to flip just eight seats to gain control.
The Senate’s only independent, Mia McLeod of Columbia, decided not to run for reelection. But four other “sister senators” who won a national award for courage in trying to stall a six-week abortion ban, are running. The three Republican women – Sandy Senn of Charleston, Katrina Shealy of Lexington County and Penny Gufstason of Camden – face tough primary challengers.
There will be lots of good back and forth during the election season. But if everybody is pulling for America and our shared bedrock principles, we’ll be O.K.
Andy Brack is editor and publisher of Statehouse Report and the Charleston City Paper. Have a comment? Send to feedback@statehousereport.com.
