Finally, we have bipartisan consensus — that America is screwed

In these fractured, divisive times, it’s nice when people from across the political spectrum can come together and find common ground upon which to set aside their rancorous partisan sniping. And so, in that spirit of niceness and bipartisan comity, I invite you, dear reader, to celebrate with me the fact that a majority of Democrats and Republicans have apparently united behind the belief that we’re all totally screwed.

Okay, that’s not exactly true. What is true is that more than half of both Democrats and Republicans believe it’s “likely” that the United States will “cease to be a democracy in the future,” at 55% and 53%, respectively, according to a just-released poll from Yahoo! News/YouGov. All told, just under 50% of the country at large believes America is headed towards a probable undemocratic future, including responses from independents and people who are politically unaffiliated.

Making matters worse are the similar numbers when respondents were asked whether they believe “there will be a civil war in the United States” sometime in their lifetime, with a majority of Republicans agreeing with that statement, alongside 50% of independents and a plurality (but not a majority) of Democrats.

Not great!

The poll, conducted among 1,541 respondents between June 10-13, isn’t all bad news, however. When asked whether “another attack like Jan. 6 could happen in the future,” just 53% of those surveyed said yes — which is bad! But is down considerably from the 60% who responded affirmatively this past December.

So ... progress?