There is a struggle within America. People see fundamental changes taking root in American life and wonder where they will lead for themselves and the nation. As they search for answers, people fear that they have little control over the responses.
Americans now deeply lament the state of the union. They are frustrated that the nation has not made more progress on its concerns, exasperated that America has not changed how it addresses its common challenges.
This citizen view of the union is significantly different from 1992, the last presidential election year. At that time Americans forcefully lashed out at the political system with raw, unmitigated anger. Now people seem to be in a more reflective, introspective mood questioning what is happening around them, fearful of what the future holds, ambivalent about what should be done.
People see two fundamental challenges before the nation and, to them, these challenges are inextricably linked. They describe an economy that has turned into a kind of quicksand, slowly pulling some Americans under, fast endangering others. What is more, the economic rules of society seem to be grossly unfair to them from how corporations work with their employees, to who shoulders the burden of taxes and budget sacrifices, to growing gaps in Americans income.
Great fear in America also lingers about the disintegration of families and values. People say that as adults confront increasing economic and personal demands, and neighbors and communities turn inward, children are left to raise themselves. A tremendous void is left filled by faceless institutions, television and its messages of violence and hate, and society s infatuation with materialism.
Americans with whom we talked are struggling. Questions abound about economic opportunity and security and the future of the American Dream. And uncertainty exists about how the nation can address its fundamental challenge of eroding families and values in American life.
The questions that people are asking themselves are just beginning to take form. They have important implications for basic relationships within society, the nature of personal responsibility, and the role of government, news media and other institutions.
People are clear on their common concerns, but they are unsure about how to act on them or are torn over what to do.
Yet this is only half the story. People do not believe that America currently has the will and the capacity to tackle the tough questions that confound the nation.
They say that leadership is nowhere to be found. They see politicians engulfed by an obsession to win re-election and make personal gains rather than serve the public. They argue that news media focus too much on dirt and gossip, and that they have abandoned their public role to inform people and to act as truth tellers. And Americans say they have abdicated their own responsibility to the larger society around them.
As election 96 approaches, these citizen voices suggest that Americans are searching for a new kind of leadership. They believe that such leadership must apply not only to politicians, but to news media, citizens, and others. People argue that basic changes must occur in how individuals and institutions act if America is to set the right course for its future.
The observations in this report are based on focus group discussions conducted in fifteen communities, across four major presidential primary states California, Florida, Iowa, and New Hampshire. In each of these states, media consortia serve as partners with the Pew Center in its election project.
Throughout the group conversations, people spoke of their concerns in different ways. Though the words sometimes changed from place to place, the essence of the discussions was strikingly clear and consistent, the emotions powerful. We could hear consistent concerns from people of different political parties, race, age, and income and from cities, suburbs, and small towns. America s Struggle Within is focused on the themes we heard across these discussions.
This report is organized in four sections. Following the Introduction is the section, A Nation Off Course, which explores the challenges that Americans see for the nation. Can We Act? follows, and looks at the role of the news media, political leadership and citizens in the state of the union. The next section, Nothing Will Be Easy or Quick, is a brief conclusion that helps frame people s expectations about change. Methodology is found in the Appendix.
A Commentary by The Harwood Group is the last part of this report. It
explores the report s observations as well as its implications, drawing on
previous Harwood Group studies for context.
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