Just this weekend, Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell characterized the Democratic Party Chairman’s comments as coming from “the angry face of Howard Dean.” Republicans love to say that the Democrats are “angry,” as if to suggest they don’t have a grip on their own passions and would likely act precipitously if in charge. You hear that characterization time and again.
I’ve always wondered why the Dems just didn’t say, “You bet I’m angry — about the war that’s killed 2600 Americans and maimed nearly 20,000, about the economy that leaves the middle class behind, about the Katrina debacle, about government interference in end of life decisions. I could go on. There is a lot to be angry about.”
So it comes with some satisfaction that I learn that three of every four Americans say they are angry.
Most Americans are angry about “something” when it comes to how the country is run, and they are more likely than in previous years to vote for a challenger this November, a new poll suggests.
A majority of Americans surveyed — and a higher percentage than recorded during the same time last year — said things in the United States are going “badly.” Among this year’s respondents, 29 percent said “pretty badly” and 25 percent — up from 15 percent a month ago — answered “very badly.” By comparison, 37 percent described the way things are going as “fairly well,” and 9 percent answered “very well.”
Of these people, 76 percent said there was “something” to be angry about in the country today. By comparison, 59 percent felt that way when polled in February.
But folks say (mostly Republican folks) that anger is a wasted emotion. I’ll try to be happier. But it would help if I could drink or smoke whatever it is that those 9% are having. My guess is it’s either Dom Perignon or that stuff with no seeds that costs $400 an ounce.