Democrats have lost faith in the political system because of reality, Republicans because of a lie

ShutterstockHardly a day goes by without some pundit or politician (generally not a Republican) talking about the need to restore America to a sense of normalcy. Democracy is at stake, and if we don't manage to getting the system working again the way it used to, we may enter a period where our institutions die a slow death and the great experiment that was America comes to an end. All of which is very frightening. The problem is that for most Americans it's apparently already well underway. Subscribe to our newsletter to stay up-to-date with the latest LGBTQ news According to a new survey by The New York Times and Siena College, a majority of Americans believe that the system is already broken, perhaps irretrievably. As might be expected, Republicans who reside within a closed media bubble believe that the system is corrupt because Donald Trump won the 2020 election. But Democrats are equally pessimistic about the political system. They believe that the deck is stacked against them. The structure of the Senate gives a state like Wyoming as much clout as California, which has a population nearly 70 times larger. The Supreme Court is issuing rulings that a majority of Americans disagree with. And since 2020 Democrats have twice won the popular vote in presidential elections only to lose the electoral vote. The problem with the survey results is that one set of beliefs is based in reality and another is based in lies. There's no question that small rural states have outsized influence in Congress due to the system that the founders established in the 18th century. What they saw as a way of balancing agricultural and city interests never anticipated a city the size of Los Angeles. However, the firm belief that Donald Trump had the election stolen from him is a lie. Yet, thanks to the cult Trump built around himself and the reinforcement it's gotten in the right-wing media, it's an article of faith among a majority of Republicans. “I know Trump won that election," Rosantina Goforth told the Times. "It’s a given. He won that election. But somehow or another, you know, people got paid and votes were mismanaged.” Goforth, who gets her news from Christian news programs, said that government officials need to be fired and replaced by people “who believe in the United States.” The fragmentation of the media has fueled the creation of closed information systems. A mere seven percent of those polled said they got most of their news from a major national newspaper, and just one percent relied on a local paper. For Republicans, Fox News - hardly a bastion of balance - was a primary news source for 29 percent of the survey respondents. Perhaps the most disturbing part of the survey result was that some respondents said that they saw little need to vote. Mitch Toher, a 22-year-old independent from Austin, said there was little difference between what Republicans or Democrats would do to improve his life. Indeed, 48 percent of those surveyed between the ages of 18 and 29 said voting did not make a difference in how their government operates. Of course, you only have to look to the 2016 election to test that hypothesis. Would we be looking at a ban on abortion and the potential to overturn marriage equality if Hilary Clinton had appointed three Supreme Court justices? Politics is a messy business. It's imperfect, and the system is always creaky. But sitting on your hands isn't going to make it any better. Indeed, the only side showing any optimism in the poll were the Republicans. Why? Because they believe they are going to return to power and put the country back on the right track. If you don't know what that means by now, you weren't paying attention during the Trump presidency and all the days leading up to January 6.

source https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2022/07/democrats-lost-faith-political-system-reality-republicans-lie/