NEWS AND OPINION:
Do you wonder about the political mindset among young Americans these days? Harvard University has released its wide-ranging annual poll of U.S. adults ages 18 to 29, and here is its summary.
“A national poll released [Monday] by the Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School indicates that among 18-to-29-year-olds, President Biden’s approval rating stands at 36%, a drop of three percentage points since last fall (39%) and five percentage points since last spring (41%) The poll also finds that nearly half of young Americans (48%) have felt unsafe in the past month, with 40% worried about falling victim to gun violence,” the summary said.
“Trust in the Supreme Court to ‘do the right thing’ has fallen by ten percentage points over the last decade, while less than half of young Americans feel like their local police department makes them safer. Nearly half (47%) of Americans under the age of 30 report ’feeling down, depressed, or hopeless,’ and 24% have considered self-harm at least several days in the last two weeks,” the summary said.
It’s complicated.
“A plurality (44%) of young Americans identify as political moderates (30% identify as liberal, 24% conservative). Among those who grew up in what they consider a moderate household, 70% identify that way today; when it comes to political identification, 31% identify as a Democrat, 16% Republican with the remaining 53% independent or unaffiliated with a party,” stated the analysis of the complex survey — which posed 154 questions to respondents.
See the poll particulars — along with insight about how the young set feels about politics in general — in the Poll du Jour at column’s end.
THE BIDEN HEADLINES
Well, there you go. President Biden made it official that he’s running for reelection in 2024, despite wobbling opinion polls that suggest voters would prefer that Mr. Biden stay out of the race. Here are a few headlines reflecting the coverage of the big reveal:
“Biden v Trump: The sequel few Americans want to see” (BBC); “Biden campaign announcement makes no mention of any bills he signed” (Fox News); “Four more years? Not if we can help it” (PJ Media); “Biden’s 2024 campaign has been hiding in plain sight” (The Associated Press); “Biden, 80, formally declares 2024 re-election bid” (Reuters); “Biden announces reelection bid, saying battle for nation’s soul isn’t complete” (CNN); and “Analysis: How unpopular can Biden be while still winning reelection?” (The Washington Post).
THE ‘DISASTER’ PRESIDENCY
Many lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have weighed in on President Biden’s decision to seek reelection, including Sen. Tim Scott, a South Carolina Republican who has already founded an exploratory committee to organize his own bid for the White House.
He has a dire description of the president’s decision.
“Another term would be a disaster for the American people. Joe Biden and the radical Left’s blueprint to ruin America includes attacking our patriotism, targeting our religious liberties, leaving our border wide open, and wasting trillions of dollars we don’t have,” Mr. Scott said in a written statement shared with Inside the Beltway.
“They are attacking every rung of the ladder that allowed me to climb,” he said, referring to his own personal history — raised by a single mother in poverty, but buoyed up to success by his faith in God and America.
Mr. Scott also fears for his nation should Mr. Biden remain in the White House.
“Championing what makes America the greatest country on earth is on the line. We need a president who will restore hope, create opportunity, and protect America. I have faith in America, and it’s about time the president did too,” the lawmaker said.
MEDIA BIAS PERSISTS
One observer in particular is vexed at The New York Times for its coverage of former Fox News host Tucker Carlson and his sudden exit from the network.
Catholic League President Bill Donohue has taken the news organization to task for its coverage of the fast-moving events, and for one reason in particular.
He first compares Mr. Carlson with CNN host Don Lemon, who also left his news network on the same day.
“Most fair-minded observers would say that Carlson is to the right of center the way Don Lemon is to the left of center. Accordingly, if the New York Times were fair, it would brand Lemon ‘far left.’ But that is not what they call him in today’s newspaper: he is called a ’fiery political commentator.’ This could also be said of Carlson, but that is not what they say about him,” Mr. Donohue said in his written report released Tuesday, noting that Mr. Carlson was labeled an ”extremist.”
The New York Times is not alone in ”biased reporting,” Mr. Donohue continued.
“We did a study today of how the media are responding to the ousters of Carlson and Lemon. We found over 200 examples of Carlson being called ’far right,’ but only a few instances of Lemon being called ’far left.’ PBS, NBC and MSNBC referred to Carlson as ‘far right’ but none referred to Lemon as ‘far left,’” Mr. Donohue said.
MEANWHILE IN CALIFORNIA
Beverly Hills-based Julien’s Auctions has revealed the results of a two-day sale of 1,400 artifacts from blockbuster films from several decades, in an event that ended on Sunday. Without further ado, here are a few of those items — and the price which they fetched:
John Travolta’s white suit from “Saturday Night Fever” ($260,000); an original prop hoverboard used by Michael J. Fox in “Back to the Future Part II” ($91,000); Bela Lugosi’s “Vampire Mirror’ cigarette box from the 1931 film “Dracula” ($130,000), an “Albus Dumbledore” wand prop used by Michael Gambon in “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” ($130,000); and a makeup pencil that once belonged to Marilyn Monroe ($6,500).
POLL DU JOUR
• 37% of young American ages 18 to 29 “strongly agree” that elected officials seem to be motivated by “selfish reasons.”
• 32% “somewhat agree” that politicians seem to be motivated by selfish reasons.
• 23% neither agree or disagree with this idea.
• 4% somewhat disagree with the idea.
• 2% “strongly disagree” that politicians are motivated by selfish reasons.
• 3% refused to answer the question.
SOURCE: A Harvard University Institute of Politics poll of 2,069 U.S. adults ages 18 to 29, conducted March 13-22, and released Monday.
• Follow Jennifer Harper on Twitter @HarperBulletin.
• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.
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