PBS Poll Finds 83% Say U.S. Has Drifted From Founding Ideals as Democrats Face Primary Upsets
Updated
Updated · PBS NewsHour · Jul 3
PBS Poll Finds 83% Say U.S. Has Drifted From Founding Ideals as Democrats Face Primary Upsets
3 articles · Updated · PBS NewsHour · Jul 3
Summary
83% of Americans say the country has moved away from its founding principles, while 65% say they are proud to be American and 53% say its best days are still ahead, according to a PBS News/NPR/Marist poll aired before the July 4 holiday.
Brooks and Capehart framed that unease against a Supreme Court term that both checked Trump on tariffs, birthright citizenship and the Fed, while also expanding presidential power by allowing firings at independent agencies and backing some immigration restrictions.
Several Democratic primary defeats sharpened the sense of political volatility: anti-establishment candidates ousted incumbents in New York and Colorado, including a 30-year House incumbent and Senator Michael Bennet in Colorado's gubernatorial primary.
Brooks called the Colorado results evidence of a broader Democratic revolt and warned against a turn toward the Democratic Socialists of America, while Capehart argued the clearer message was voter anger over affordability and frustration with party establishments.
Set against the nation's 250th anniversary, both commentators said the mix of institutional strain, voter backlash and lingering optimism points to a country still fighting over how to define its democracy.