Rift: 72 percent of voters say America is more divided than it was four years ago

NEWS AND OPINION:

Sooner or later, American politicians will remember the old adage “united we stand, divided we fall” and act accordingly — seeking to tamp down destructive trends and bolster those that could help our less-than-perfect union. Maybe the press can lend a hand, though that seems doubtful. Meanwhile, new poll numbers reveal just how serious the rift has become in America. Is it political, ideological, cultural, racial, religious? It is likely a perfect storm of all those factors, ramped up by social media and sensationalized news coverage. The rift shifts so quickly that even sociologists have a difficult time charting its course and longevity.

“Voters don’t share President Obama’s upbeat assessment of the nation and strongly believe the United States is coming apart. Even the majority of his fellow Democrats share that gloomy assessment,” reports a new Rasmussen reports survey. Some 72 percent “of likely U.S. voters believe America is a more divided nation than it was four years ago. Clearly voters think things are getting worse, because that’s up 11 points from the 61 percent who felt that way just before Election Day two years ago,” the poll analysis noted.

An optimistic 7 percent say the nation is less divided than it was four years ago, while 19 percent think the level of division is about the same.

WHAT IRKS MR. TRUMP

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and his strategists spend many hours defending the candidate’s campaign against aggressive, strategic attacks from the mainstream media, attacks that distract the voting public from the campaign’s important policy statements. Pushback against the press is understandable, justifiable and appropriate to a point, but finding that point is a political art. Meanwhile, here are just a few of many headlines from the last 48 hours that demonstrate what Mr. Trump and his people are up against:

“Inside the failing mission to tame Trump’s tongue” (The New York Times); “Young voters flee Donald Trump in what may be a historic trouncing” (USA Today); “Donald Trump’s poll numbers are collapsing” (Vanity Fair); “Donald Trump: The No-Comeback Kid” (U.S. News & World Report); and “Donald Trump becomes Sunday show whipping boy” (Daily Beast).

“Besides running against Hillary Clinton, Trump is running against the media,” Paul Manafort, Mr. Trump’s campaign manager, told CNN’s “State of the Union.”

SALON OR SALOON?

California Gov. Jerry Brown is hearing plenty about AB 1322, a bill passed by the state assembly that would allow beauty salons and barber shops to serve certain libations during the course of a haircut. Existing law makes it unlawful for anybody other than a licensee of the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control to sell, manufacture or import alcoholic beverages — except for those who operate limousines or hot air balloons. They can serve alcohol without a license or permit provided there is no extra charge or fee for the beverages. The new bill would allow the same thing in the Golden State’s 42,000 beauty salons and barber shops.

Activists are urging Mr. Brown, a Democrat, to veto the legislation.

“This bill is nothing more than another ploy to enrich the special interest of a few and the alcohol lobby to the detriment of the health and safety of our community members,” says Richard Zaldivar, co-chair of the California Alcohol Policy Alliance, which staged two demonstrations in Los Angeles this weekend to prove its point; the rallies’ themes include “Alcohol belongs in saloons, not salons” and “Cut my hair, not my liver.”

Mr. Zaldivar notes that California has 10,000 alcohol-related deaths a year and that the number of venues allowed to serve alcohol in the state will increase by 41 percent if the bill is made law. “Our community members suffer enough with thousands of alcohol-related deaths and other physical harm,” he says.

PLEASED WITH PENCE

Vice presidential nominee Gov. Mike Pence reaffirmed he is an unapologetic pro-life candidate. During an appearance on “Fox News Sunday”, the Indiana Republican said he wants “Roe v. Wade overturned and consigned to the ash heap of history.” He also praised his state’s legislation, which protects the unborn.

“We took a stand in the state of Indiana — that, frankly, many countries have taken — that abortions for the reasons of race or sex are morally offensive, and we stand by that. But we also cherish those who have disabilities in the state of Indiana. And taking a step in the direction of protecting the unborn, who are facing physical challenges and disabilities, I think was the right thing to do,” he told Fox.

“Governor Pence aligns himself with the marginalized, those in need who many don’t notice, and he does not forget them. Children with disabilities waiting to be born in Indiana and everywhere are arguably the most vulnerable in our world. He wants to protect them and support their parents,” observes Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the pro-life Susan B. Anthony List.

YET ANOTHER LIBERTARIAN FORUM

CNN has already staged two well-received political forums for Libertarian nominees Gary Johnson and Bill Weld with hosts Chris Cuomo and Anderson Cooper. The Fox Business Network has also staged a Libertarian town hall for the two candidates hosted by Jon Stossel, and has another airing on Aug. 26. These encounters generally attract sizable, sometimes record-breaking audiences — a factor not lost on the competition.

Well, here comes another Libertarian talkfest. Fusion, a cable network devoted to a “young, diverse and inclusive America,” will host the two nominees on Wednesday, to be moderated by anchors Jorge Ramos and Alicia Menendez, with seven correspondents asking the questions.

“In addition to touching on the state of the 2016 presidential race, the conversation will focus on the issues that matter to the rising American mainstream, which is more diverse than ever before,” the network notes.

POLL DU JOUR

• 76 percent of U.S. parents are willing to delay retirement to pay for their kid’s college; 68 percent are willing to take a second job.

• 65 percent say they can only contribute “some” to the cost of college; 63 percent feel guilty about it.

• 62 percent of school-age children expect their parents to cover the cost of “whatever college I want to go to.”

• 58 percent of parents save for their child’s college; 35 percent expect they can cover “most” college costs.

Source: A T. Rowe Price survey of 1,086 U.S. parents with children aged 8 to 14 and 1,086 with U.S. children aged 8 to 14, conducted Feb. 4 to 11 and released Friday.

Glum assessments, reassurance to jharper@washingtontimes.com