Americans are generally known for having a positive outlook on life, but with the countdown for November's presidential election now well under way, polls show voters are angry. This may explain the success of non-mainstream candidates such as Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Bernie Sanders. But what is fuelling the frustration?

A CNN/ORC poll carried out in December 2015 suggests 69% of Americans are either "very angry" or "somewhat angry" about "the way things are going" in the US.

And the same proportion - 69% - are angry because the political system "seems to only be working for the insiders with money and power, like those on Wall Street or in Washington," according to a NBC/Wall Street Journal poll from November.

Many people are not only angry, they are angrier than they were a year ago, according to an NBC/Esquire survey last month - particularly Republicans (61%) and white people (54%) but also 42% of Why are Americans so angry? Democrats, 43% of Latinos and 33% of African Americans.

Candidates have sensed the mood and are adopting the rhetoric. Donald Trump, who has arguably tapped into voters' frustration better than any other candidate, says he is "very, very angry" and will "gladly accept the mantle of anger" while rival Republican Ben Carson says he has encountered "many Americans who are discouraged and angry as they watch the American dream slipping away".

Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders says: "I am angry and millions of Americans are angry," while Hillary Clinton says she "understands why people get angry".

Here are five reasons why some voters feel the American dream is in tatters.

1. Economy

US median household income (adjusted for inflation)



"The failure of the economy to deliver real progress to middle-class and working-class Americans over the past 15 years is the most fundamental source of public anger and disaffection in the US," says William Galston, an expert in governance studies at the Brookings Institution think tank.

Although the country may have recovered from the recession - economic output has rebounded and unemployment rates have fallen from 10% in 2009 to 5% in 2015 - Americans are still feeling the pinch in their wallets. Household incomes have, generally speaking, been stagnant for 15 years. In 2014, the median household income was $53,657, according to the US Census Bureau - compared with $57,357 in 2007 and $57,843 in 1999 (adjusted for inflation).

There is also a sense that many jobs are of lower quality and opportunity is dwindling, says Galston. "The search for explanations can very quickly degenerate into the identification of villains in American politics. On the left it is the billionaires, the banks, and Wall Street. On the right it is immigrants, other countries taking advantage of us and the international economy - they are two sides of the same political coin."

2. Immigration



America's demographics are changing - nearly 59 million immigrants have arrived in the US since 1965, not all of whom entered the country legally. Forty years ago, 84% of the American population was made up of non-Hispanic white people - by last year the figure was 62%, according to Pew Research. It projects this trend will continue, and by 2055 non-Hispanic white people will make up less than half the population. Pew expects them to account for only 46% of the population by 2065. By 2055, more Asians than any other ethnic group are expected to move to US.

"It's been an era of huge demographic, racial, cultural, religious and generational change," says Paul Taylor, author of The Next America. "While some celebrate these changes, others deplore them. Some older, whiter voters do not recognise the country they grew up in. There is a sense of alien tribes," he says.

The US currently has 11.3 million illegal immigrants. Migrants often become a target of anger, says Roberto Suro, an immigration expert at the University of Southern California. "There is a displacement of anxiety and they become the face of larger sources of tensions, such as terrorism, jobs and dissatisfaction. We saw that very clearly when Donald Trump switched from [complaining about] Mexicans to Muslims without skipping a beat after San Bernardino," he says, referring to the shooting in California in December that left 14 people dead.

3. Washington



When asked if they trust the government, 89% of Republicans and 72% of Democrats say "only sometimes" or "never", according to Pew Research. Six out of 10 Americans think the government has too much power, a survey by Gallup suggests, while the government has been named as the top problem in the US for two years in a row - above issues such as the economy, jobs and immigration, according to the organisation.

The gridlock on Capitol Hill and the perceived impotence of elected officials has led to resentment among 20 to 30% of voters, says polling expert Karlyn Bowman, from the American Enterprise Institute. "People see politicians fighting and things not getting done - plus the responsibilities of Congress have grown significantly since the 1970s and there is simply more to criticise. People feel more distant from their government and sour on it," she says.

William Galston thinks part of the appeal of Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders is down to frustration with what some see as a failing system. "So on the right you have someone who is running as a 'strong man', a Berlusconi and Putin, who will get things done, and on the left you have someone who is rejecting incrementalism and calling for a political revolution," he says.

Ted Cruz, who won the Republican caucuses in Iowa, is also running as an anti-establishment candidate. "Tonight is a victory for every American who's watched in dismay as career politicians in Washington in both parties refuse to listen and too often fail to keep their commitments to the people," he said on Monday night.

4. America's place in the world



America is used to being seen as a superpower but the number of Americans that think the US "stands above all other countries in the world" went from 38% in 2012 to 28% in 2014, Pew Research suggests. Seventy percent of Americans also think the US is losing respect internationally, according to a 2013 poll by the centre.

"For a country that is used to being on top of the world, the last 15 years haven't been great in terms of foreign policy. There's a feeling of having been at war since 9/11 that's never really gone away, a sense America doesn't know what it wants and that things aren't going our way," says Roberto Suro. The rise of China, the failure to defeat the Taliban and the slow progress in the fight against the so-called Islamic State group has contributed to the anxiety.

Americans are also more afraid of the prospect of terrorist attacks than at any time since 9/11, according to a New York Times/CBS poll. The American reaction to the San Bernardino shooting was different to the French reaction to the Paris attacks, says Galston. "Whereas the French rallied around the government, Americans rallied against it. There is an impression that the US government is failing in its most basic obligation to keep country and people safe."

5. Divided nation



Democrats and Republicans have become more ideologically polarised than ever. The typical (median), Republican is now more conservative in his or her core social, economic and political views than 94% of Democrats, compared with 70% in 1994, according to Pew Research. The median Democrat, meanwhile, is more liberal than 92% of Republicans, up from 64%.

The study also found that the share of Americans with a highly negative view of the opposing party has doubled, and that the animosity is so deep, many would be unhappy if a close relative married someone of a different political persuasion.

This polarisation makes reaching common ground on big issues such as immigration, healthcare and gun control more complicated. The deadlock is, in turn, angering another part of the electorate. "Despite this rise in polarisation in America, a large mass in the middle are pragmatic. They aren't totally disengaged, they don't want to see Washington gridlocked, but they roll their eyes at the nature of this discourse," says Paul Taylor. This group includes a lot of young people and tends to eschew party labels. "If they voted," he says, "they could play an important part of the election."

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-35406324

0bama  /  liberalism  /  PC  crap

yup, "cause shits fucked yo"

Subhuman media filth

Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile

well I  think we all can agree that high taxes piss us off!!!

 

I'm not angry. Go fuck yourself.

Watching zero take most of my paycheck and give it to parasites -- may of them in the US ILLEGALLY pisses me off.

I've paid more taxes than a lot people make in a year.  It sucks paying for the FSA!

What he said.  And quit lookin at me.

Only the people that actually produce or own something are effected

 
So that only covers about 47% of us

Personally, I feel like my concerns and interests aren't represented by either party.

I really hate illegal immigration.  Guess what?  Both parties are all for it.  I can't even go third party, because the Libertarians want open borders.




The other thing I am angry about, is that I vote for Republicans to stop Democrats and Obama.  They win those elections.  And then they say "We've got to do what the Democrats want, because that's what voters want."


No.  No.  NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!




After 2 elections, it's pretty clear what's going on and that the GOP are bunch of self-serving rent-seeking assholes who need to be purged.




And then they wonder why Donald Trump is so popular.

Who the fuck you calling angry?! I'll rip your eyes out and piss on your brain.

Spot on post.....

... I'm not angry

Why? Well... when you work your ass off and can barely support your own family, then people tell you that they want to take more of your money to help others who don't even work at all, I tend to get a little angry.

I'm fucking pissed off because we have elitist politicians and unelected bureaucrats who run this country with no checks and balances and a corrupt as fuck mainstream media.

f 8 pni

well yes that is true... I know of turds who pay nothing in taxes and then get thousands of dollars back at tax time.... how the hell do you pay in nothing and get a "refund" of 5,000+ dollars



 

Conservatives are angry because the left is taking away all of our property and rights. The left is angry because they don't think it's going fast enough.

^^^^ this makes me angry ^^^^



 

I see that you put some thought and work into making your thread, and I like it.  I'm relaxed and easy going for the most part.  Fuck Obama!

I have far less in common with a Libtard than a Union boy had with Johnny Reb.

one example is a old family friend who runs a local garage.



Before Obamacare his insurance was about $380 a month he is 51 and his wife is 47



Now their Insurance is $1200 and he had to drop insurance for his few employees and they are

in the same boat.



Him and his father has ran this garage and made good money, not so much since Obama took

over.



In my town everyone but the welfare rats hate Obama and I mean hate(things that are not even COC to say).



People hate Obama, people hate the Democrats.

I was only slightly perturbed about it until my mother passed and I had to start doing the office work for the family business

 

It's fucking insane . take a bite with corporate taxes , take about the same sized bite out of everyone's payroll ,



Plus tons of shit one would not even think about


$1000s a year for permits , licenses , etc

Then some other level of govt takes a few bucks so you can register the above mentioned licenses and permits with 3 fucking levels of government


A few hundred more for classes to maintain said licenses


The big shit like mandated insurance , bonds , etc doesn't bother me as much as the constant stream of $50 $100 $300 fees that serve no fucking purpose but employ 3 levels of redundant bureaucrats

Crime is down, food is abundant, air conditioning is nice, Hep C is cured, gas prices are low.

Divide and conquer.  Most people only vote based on what they think the differences in R and D are.

Our rights are being whittled away.
Our government has gotten too big and unwieldy.
The nations producers are getting tired of supporting the takers.
The inability or unwillingness of our elected officials - Republican and Democrat - to stop Obama's illegal actions.
The lack of journalistic integrity on the part of the mainstream media.
Corruption, graft, and dishonesty run rampant in politics, yet none of them are held accountable for their actions.  

That article does a good job of skirting around the issues while pretending to be mystified at the root cause.  

The real problem is

NEARLY EIGHT YEARS OF OBAMA'S POLICIES

THIS IS WHAT DEMOCRATS DO!

No border, illegals treated better than Veterans, run away regulation, B.S. unemployment figures, no real budget, letting criminals out of Gitmo, patronizing idiots, and the one thing in that article I think is a positive not a negative, grid lock. I'm happy they haven't done more!

And why the fuck are you standing on my lawn. Get off it.

If I were an Incumbent Politician up for reelection in November I would probably start looking for a new job.

one of these days people will quit electing democrats  and this shit will stop.

The nail, you hit it, square on the fucking head.

They missed a huge one..the erosion of our goddamned rights..the 4th amendment, the spying on all of us, the second amendment encroachments, the  dammit, I am not mad..now leave me the fuck alone....

This. Wages are stagnant and everything is getting more expensive. So people are cutting back on things they used to do or buy. So their standard of living is starting to slide down. And they think that this won't piss people off?

Obama

Maybe because my rights have been slowly eroding to the point that America is no longer recognizable anymore. The government which should be a tool of the citizens and not it's ruler is saying what we can and cannot do although our rights are plainly stated. We're pandering to retards and fuckups that say UH MUH FEELS and cry and bitch without so much as a reason. The schools are teaching revisionist history and nothing is being done about it.

Doesn't matter what the press says. Doesn't matter what the politicians or the mobs say. Doesn't matter if the whole country decides that something wrong is something right. This nation was founded on one principle above all else: the requirement that we stand up for what we believe, no matter the odds or the consequences. When the mob and the press and the whole world tell you to move, your job is to plant yourself like a tree beside the river of truth, and tell the whole world — "No, you move."

Fucking oath breaking motherfuckers in Congress lying to your face. Fucking commie network reporters, yes Fox too. Fucking big city downtown areas with unchecked savages breaking shit because the good people aren't allowed to bust a cap in their felonious asses. Fucking rural baked meth heads. Fucking people living in America who can't speak English, and no I'm not talking about public school students.

Fuck it, let it all burn. Rebuilding has to start somewhere, I think that's what Sherman said on the outskirts of Atlanta.

Other than that, I'm a pretty happy guy.

Growing sense of frustration with the direction of this country.  It's not just 0 but long before 0.  Lies, corruption, self-serving politicians, death of the American dream, many have slipped from middle class to poor, frustration, helplessness, growing sense of hopelessness.  

F*ck Woody Wilson.

I'm Fucking outraged!

Obama

Just so much bullshit.

If you are not PISSED OFF, then you are NOT paying attention.

And does it not make you

ANGRY?

Why is it funny? Of course it makes me angry, and sad.

That's the author's idea of "big issues"?  What a fucking buffoon.  

Healthcare and Immigration

Before, it was corrupt pols.  Both sides.  They enriched themselves at our expense.  

But Zero took it to a new level.  He hates us, and most Americans are too nice/stupid to realize what he’s been up to, but they know something wrong.

This election is the culmination of a century of progressives work.  Communism or Constitution.  We decide forever this November.

Because your nation is rigged for the rich. The american dream is for sale with a price tag so high you need to be living it already to pay it.