Washington Post op-ed about partisanship and how optimistic people are about the USA.

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Edited to fit in board rules -

Opinion by
Jennifer Rubin
Columnist
May 3, 2021 at 7:45 a.m. EDT
Gloomy news about the pandemic has been so persistent that it seems odd to think things might be improving. It seems we risk jinxing the country by taking good news at face value (e.g., lowest new unemployment claims since the lockdowns began, retail spending way up, coronavirus vaccinations allowing cities to safely reopen some activities). But it is perfectly fine to be optimistic — and indeed, a whole lot of Americans are.

ABC News reports on its latest poll with Ipsos: “Nearly two-thirds of Americans (64%) are optimistic about the direction of the country.… The last time the country came close to that level of optimism about the coming year was in December 2006, when 61% said they were optimistic about where the country was headed.” (I promise, Americans won’t get tired of winning.)

It may also be the case that right-wing politicians’ fixation with culture memes is depressing their followers. They move from one outrage to another — meat ban! Dr. Seuss! Vice President Harris circulating her books among migrant kids! — attempting to paint the United States as falling to barbarians, like the Roman Empire.