Polls show USA not as divided as you may think

Cuomo, who’s made a number of passes around the broadcasting universe, has landed at the cable NewsNation operation and has just come up with a POV that I find engaging, and hopeful.

Namely, that as divided we are as a nation, there’s a lot more that binds us together. He calls it, “We the People…Agree!”

Yes, I know: That sounds like the Pablum graduates get poured in their ears by  guest speakers at liberal arts college commencements.

Cuomo highlights bipartisan polling statistics to argue that everyday Americans largely agree on major systemic problems and desired solutions, despite a divisive partisan media. I did my own research, and guess what? It’s largely true. 

I can tell you from my life experience that the ‘60s and ‘70s were worse than today, and the Civil War period and the Depression had this nation on its knees.

Today we are united on many major issues — all but one above 60% — and, according to Cuomo, it’s the damn politicians that keep us apart, for their own political ends.

Maybe he’s right, in some cases. I am more likely to blame people who vote stupid, or not at all.

Rather than talk in generalities, let me assemble specifics, drawn from several polling sources. In some cases when I feel strongly about the result, I will add my comments in italic.

• Upwards of  84%  of Americans (including vast majorities across both major parties) agree on addressing healthcare affordability and systemic reform.
• 88% feel the state should allow abortion when the mother’s health is endangered, while 85% say abortion should be permitted when the result of rape or incest.
• 67% believe in a maximum age to hold public office.
• 80% want politicians older than 75 to take mental competency tests with results made public.
• More than  89% of citizens express urgency for legislative action to lower surging housing and living costs.
• Eight in 10 endorse political compromise.
• 84% say the U.S. benefits from having a mix of cultures.
• More than 80% of both Democrats and Republicans support requiring criminal and mental health background checks for all gun purchases. I know from previous reporting even a majority of NRA members agree.
• Large majorities endorse holding parents legally responsible if their minor children commit crimes using unsecured family guns.
• Broad consensus supports allowing government health programs to negotiate prescription drug prices.
• Strong localized and national polling majorities favor practical restrictions like banning cellphones in K-12 classrooms during instruction.
• More than 70% of adults agree there is too much money in politics, and that billionaires and special interests wield corrupting influence.
• Bipartisan majorities support banning members of Congress from trading individual stocks.
• 68% of us want the government to regulate artificial intelligence.
• A stunning 77% want restrictions on corporate spending on elections.
• A slightly smaller 73% want restrictions on the amount of money individuals and lobbies can spend on political campaigns. 
• 83% want tax credits for improving home energy efficiency.
• Two-thirds say it is unacceptable for a President to issue pardons to family members.
• 65% want to end the changing of clocks twice a year.
• The U.S. government should have a major role in providing relief after natural disasters, say 80% of Americans.
• The government should have a major role in tracking weather events and warning people, say 71%.
• 80% believe cocaine should be illegal.
• 80% want voters to produce ID at the polling place.
• Another (or the same) 80% of Americans believe polls should be open for in-person voting at least two weeks prior to election day.
• 71% oppose gerrymanding by political parties to give themselves an edge in drawing congressional districts.
• 72% demand that the federal budget be balanced each year, while 63% opined that the federal government spends too much.
• Homeowners over 65 should be exempt from property taxes say 73%, while fewer, 66%, want no income tax on the first $75,000 of earnings.
• A strong 81% want term limits on congress, joined by 79% who want fixed, not lifetime, terms for Supreme Court Justices.
• 83% agree that violence is not acceptable to achieve political goals, while 83% support the rights of Americans to protest what they see as unjust.
• 83% say the President must follow Supreme Court rulings, even those against him; 81% disapprove of the President making his own laws if Congress fails to act.
• 87% say ICE agents should wear body cameras; 75% want agents to wear identifying uniforms. The killer stat is the 86% who want immigrants who entered illegally and committed violent crimes to be deported. That leaves 14% who do not want them deported. Who are these people, I ask myself. A voice says, “Didn’t you publish the platform of the Democratic Socialists of America? Why, yes I did, see it here, and learn where the 14% of lunatics may be.
• A strong 81% want employers to provide paid sick leave for full-time employees. Form a union, says I.
• There was strong feeling for a federal digital privacy bill of rights to protect personal data, 81%. There was less enthusiasm for requiring websites with explicit material to verify users’ ages, 67%; and banning social media for children under 16, at 62%.
• 59% want to see a law banning conversion therapy for minors; while 67% want vaccinations required for students to attend school, except for medical reasons.
• An astonishing 92% want the government to require food companies to use more clear, easier-to-understand labeling on food package; 66% would increase restrictions on pesticides in agriculture.
• When it comes to foreign aid, 84% would send medical supplies to developing nations; 78% would provide food and clothing; 74% would provide aid in response to disasters.
• On foreign policy, 76% say the Iranian people must choose who leads them; 61% believe the U.S. government should not endorse candidates or parties in European elections; 68% say the U.S. should defend any NATO member who is attacked. We are obligated by our NATO treaty to defend a fellow member. That 1/3 of Americans don’t know, or don’t, care, is disturbing.

Now that is a lot of agreement. While the list is not exhaustive, it does touch a great many of today's great issues.

With so much agreement, how is it possible so little change comes out of D.C.?

That’s not so hard to figure out.You are not demanding it happen.

And until we all do, it won't.