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Why are Americans so worried about 2013?

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    Pessimism in new Gallup poll

  • Duration 8:42
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He's have a new Gallup poll is today looking at America's future and how Americans feel about.

When asked of America's best years are ahead or behind.

Half of the citizens here said it looks downhill from here.

And their view of 2013 is particularly bleak.

So why why are Americans so down about the future now I get 50% -- her best days are behind us.

-- now appears to powers columnist for the Daily Beast and a Fox News contributor.

And Chris -- radio host of the Chris Plante show.

So.

That's a has a happy way to start up the new year our best days are behind us.

But that's what that majority of Americans believe when you look at the breakdown.

It's somewhat partisan way more Republicans believe our best days are behind us then Democrats Democrats feel they're ahead of us but independents -- with the Republicans on this.

I'll start with you in this Chris why do you think that is.

Well because we're living in pretty bleak times pretty austere times that you know of the American people.

I think in in our guts we know that.

Things are not headed in the right direction that the economy is on the skids that we're.

Kind of told in explicitly that this is the new normal.

That the unemployment rate is going to kind of be like this in our growth rate is going to be -- and we should just accept it and if that's the new normal -- things look pretty blank I've got a friend who's a small business owner.

Who told me at a Christmas party that surviving.

As the new prosperity.

And that's kind of where we are.

And yet you know assisting -- -- -- is that when Gallup asked the folks do you think we're gonna be seeing a year of increasing employment career a year of rising unemployment.

53% said we're gonna see increasing employment is here just 42% said unemployment is gonna go up so.

The bleakness doesn't seem to be tied.

Only to the unemployment rate in the country it seems to be bigger.

Broader than that.

Yes and when -- I would say is half of the people are are are pretty negative but about half the people are pretty positive I mean -- it's not that they -- the difference between the people are positive and negative and it is extremely partisan it.

You look at Democrats say overwhelmingly think that the best years are ahead -- -- so I do you think a lot of the negativity.

Am the positive side comes from what you think about President Obama -- he was just.

-- -- and I think -- the year or person who thinks he's a bad leader than you would naturally think.

Things are not gonna -- the Republicans know that he's only got you know another four years and then somebody else -- come.

Well I think Republicans really believe that he's he's such a bad leader for the country that they can imagine that things will go pattern I think Democrats feel like he's a good leader and so things will go batter.

But overall look -- it.

It -- -- look at the last.

Year -- it was a very rough year and I think people tended -- that tends to have -- drag on.

What people expect in the future and you know for every story about somebody.

About feeling like and they're small businesses doing badly I have friends who -- small businesses are doing.

While our very optimistic so you know I am optimistic about the future but then again the Democrats like a -- that went back.

But what -- -- -- this sort of Blake you know.

-- the carding yours Chris right when America you have very pessimistic.

And people believe the best days were behind them and then President Reagan came in and things very in mourning in America.

And anything like even Democrats felt that he brought something new and more positive to the country I mean could the Republicans who -- dismayed and and if it's all about President Obama.

Be looking at a page turner in a few years as they did back then.

Well yes absolutely and I and I think that's -- that's -- that people have if -- asked the question differently.

I think expect and I expected as I expect an economic Malays in the short term and perhaps the medium term because we've embarked on a path economically speaking that -- essentially what a number of socially democratic countries in Western Europe -- -- and they've all -- bankrupt and their unemployment rates are astronomical.

And as we pursue those same economic models.

I think we can expect to find the same results here.

Yes we can turn around but it took Ronald Reagan turnaround in our country first turn gray.

We -- the economic Malays and and we asked all the same questions now.

-- is Christiane we get a Christmas sorry Chris if they're not bother your own the cameras.

-- and and and we were able to turn around thanks to Ronald Reagan -- introducing an entirely new set of economic policies.

But we are embarking right now on an economic model on an economic path.

That is going to obligate us to spend an awful lot of money that we don't have and also now the debt to GDP ratio is completely out of whack real.

Over -- 100% during the Carter residents over a 100% right now out of debt to GDP.

Wait but those numbers down this confusing or I'm talking about numbers that don't -- -- -- -- -- but that -- over a 100% now in terms of our.

Debt to GDP our -- which makes us look much more like Europe and we used to look -- in this country just a few years ago where was more down in the sixty.

Sixties I want to ask you this appears to because.

I I realize that there's definitely some partisan lines here but the Gallup poll was taken from December 14 to December 17.

December 14 was the -- the Newtown Connecticut right massacre.

And how much do you think other issues besides the economy things like pat you know -- -- shook the whole nation about how.

How that could happen in America I know all I know -- five years ago.

Children were also massacred by a bomb at a school on just saying it is not a neighbor day occurrence thank god in this country but you've got that.

And and and a separate -- forgive me but you've got the celebrity culture you know you've got like people who become -- based only on a sex tapes and they make millions of dollars and how much of that and that and that it's it's -- presence in our society now plays into this do you think.

I think it plays into an enormously.

I don't think it is just about the economy -- people do you typically think of the economy but.

They and I I think that the fact that it was taken around that time does have something to do with that and -- what looked that was the I think the fourth or fifth major shooting like that of the year know that -- you know what there were so many of these shootings and I think that that.

Definitely affects people but I also remember in the early 1990s you know if you look back and pulled up the polls from merit in -- -- look like because.

That's when you were saying -- our best years are behind us you know this generation will never do as well as their parents did and then of course we had.

The tech boom which nobody really saw coming so.

You know we don't really know what's gonna happen and I just I really think whether as a Democrat or Republican -- is fundamentally believe the United States is going to be able to.

Bounce back from -- and we actually have.

Responded -- a lot differently than Europe has there's not enough time to get into that but I think that we have.

Responded and and a different way than they haven't I don't think we're gonna end up in the same place that they wouldn't.

About the cultural influence Chris because I mean America's been sharply partisan for most of its history I mean we'll go back and read what was going on you know the founding of this country and then the next hundred years and you'll realize.

We've always been hyper partisan and maybe they got along a little bit better maybe they at the end of the day reached agreement a little bit better but you know.

That's how the system was set up so how much is the hyper partisanship -- seeing in Washington affecting this vs some of these other intangibles.

Well it does -- and I -- Washington for 25 years and I've never seen it this bad I mean this is just.

I'm embarrassed for my species at this point you know forget about living in Washington are voting Republican -- the rest of it.

If this is the best the human race can do it the highest levels of governance on the planet earth.

But I think we're in good and in pretty -- had trouble going forward I think we've got.

-- too many dishonest politicians who are self interest did and taken with.

They this sort of pop culture aspects of being in politics and we've we've turned our political life into.

Up pop culture too much -- drew great to greater degree and you mentioned the other sort of other cultural issues.

I think that we -- a lot of people myself among them see our pop culture taking us in a direction that doesn't.

You know take a stunned that the the path to prosperity either I think in a lot of different ways economically the models were pursuing that GDP there were.

Casually passing along to the next generation as though it it doesn't really matter.

The selfishness that we see coming out of Washington is extraordinary.

And I think we're just laying track for bad things ahead -- on a lot of different levels and people recognize that.

Having Indian.

Yeah I found -- I was aren't -- -- what the -- numbers reflect that you do not stand alone you do not stand alone Lybrand the polls.

At least the Republicans and independents.

Are overwhelmingly with fewer independents 55 to 43 Republicans 74 to twenty for for the Democrats feel good 69 to 20% okay.

They -- not so much for being here.

Thank you.

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