But ideas often erode when faced with reality. The ideals of the American experiment permeate American culture and government, but are often ignored in how our laws are enforced and how Americans treat each other. Ideals and nation are linked, but they are not the same.
Partisanship seeps into that division.
This week, Fox News released the results of a national poll gauging how Americans view their country. (The Fox poll is conducted jointly by Democrat and Republican-leaning pollsters and is highly regarded.)
Polls show that Americans have little trust in their government and most say they are not proud of their country today, but most still consider the United States the best place to live in the world.
How do we bridge this gap? Look at the differences across party lines. Democrats (and those who say they plan to vote for President Biden’s reelection this year) have roughly the same views on each question: Most trust the government, are proud of their country, and believe America is a great place to live.
But Republicans overwhelmingly don’t trust government and aren’t proud of the United States today — after all, this is a country with Biden as its sitting president and head of government — and yet, unlike Democrats, they overwhelmingly support American greatness.
These divisions are not new. In fact, they can be explained in familiar terms: Republicans are the “love them or hate them” party, where patriotism can negate dissatisfaction with the government and political leaders, while Democrats are the party that sees America as imperfect and in need of improvement, which is often seen as unpatriotic by their opponents.
The same Fox News poll vividly illustrated the importance of partisan politics to how Americans view issues: Pollsters asked respondents to evaluate Biden’s and Trump’s policies and policy proposals, and half of respondents recognized that the policies were the product of both candidates.
When the candidates were not identified, support for each policy was roughly the same regardless of party. Once the candidates were identified, large partisan divides became apparent.
When no candidates were mentioned, there was an 8-point difference between the parties on views on limiting the number of asylum seekers entering the US. When this was attributed to Biden, the difference jumped to 34 points. On a proposal to repeal the federal tax on gratuities, the partisan gap jumped even wider, from 3 points to 42 points.
We see a similar effect on the issue of American pride: In 2017, when Trump was president, Republicans were nearly twice as likely as Democrats to say they were proud of their country. While this shift may reflect how the country has changed in the last seven years, it’s safe to assume that opinions would reverse if Trump is re-elected next year.
Perhaps the final point of agreement is most useful: Most Americans, Democrats and Republicans alike, believe that America is the best country in the world to live in. Let’s hope that neither presidential candidate puts that into their party’s campaign platforms.
