The REAL history of the two Americas

The views and opinions expressed are solely those of the author.

Over the last 30 years or so, the left has concocted a narrative that says there are two Americas: a group of very wealthy people (the one percent) who have prospered over the past few decades, and everyone else who they have become poorer. . It's a fairy tale narrative because almost every American has seen financial progress. Median household income adjusted for inflation increased more than 40% since 1984.

Prosperity is not an “us vs. them” zero-sum game. A rising tide really does lift all boats.

But there really are two Americas today. First, there are the overeducated, cultural snobs—the kind who religiously read The New York Times, drive electric vehicles, wear Harvard or Yale sweaters, and have never heard of NASCAR, eaten at Popeyes, or ridden a John Deere tractor.

And then there's the regular high street of America. Snobs thumb their collective noses at unrefined working-class Americans. The elites believe they are intellectually, culturally and morally superior to the working class and rural America. You won't see too many elites at a Trump rally with 30,000 people.

A group I helped found, the Committee to Unleash Prosperity, just released a study titled “Them vs. US” that examines how America's cultural elites (defined as at least a graduate degree, annual income of more of $150,000, high-density urban residence and assistance). an Ivy League school) are completely out of touch with ordinary Americans. Pollster Scott Rasmussen did the research.

Here are some of the key revelations from the survey:

Financial well-being: Nearly three-quarters of elites surveyed believe they are better off financially now than when Joe Biden entered the White House. Less than 20% of average Americans feel the same way.

Individual freedom: Elites are three times more likely than all Americans to say there is too much individual freedom in the country. Surprisingly, nearly half of elite and nearly 6 in 10 Ivy League players say there is too much freedom.

Climate change: A staggering 72% of elites, including 81% of elites who graduated from top universities, favor banning gas cars. And most elites would ban gas stoves, non-essential air travel, SUVs, and private air conditioning. That means no planes with the kids at Disney World.

Education: Most elites think that teacher unions and school administrators should control the school agenda. Most Americans think parents should make these decisions.

Oh, and roughly three-quarters of those cultural elites are Biden supporters. Surprised? Read the full report on the commission's website.

The Grand Canyon-sized divide between America's elites and ordinary Americans is so deep it's as if they live in two different countries. Silicon Valley, Manhattan and Washington have become bubbles that have lost touch with everyday Americans. This explains why the political class, which is a large part of the elite group, is confused by the poll numbers showing that voters feel financially stressed. The elites are fine, so they think everyone is prospering. I suspect most don't want radical change in public schools because their children attend top private schools. They're fine with the abolition of SUVs because in big cities, Americans generally don't drive these cars, if they do.

Crime, illegal immigration, inflation, fentanyl, and factory closings don't keep the elite up at night because in their cocoons they don't encounter these problems on a daily basis like many Americans do today. There aren't too many mainstream Americans losing sleep over climate change or LGBTQ issues.

America's elites tend to work in the “speaking professions”: university professors, journalists, lawyers, actors and lobbyists. They keep talking and ordinary Americans more than ever aren't listening.

Stephen Moore is co-founder of the Committee to Unleash Prosperity. He is chief economist at FreedomWorks.

COPYRIGHT 2024 CREATORS.COM

Stephen Moore is a journalist, author, and economics columnist who served as a senior economics writer on the Wall Street Journal's editorial page and as a member of the Journal's editorial board.

Latest messages from Stephen Moore (see everything)

We have zero tolerance for comments that contain violence, racism, profanity, profanity, doxing, or rude behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it, click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for engaging with us in a fruitful conversation.