‘A cultural and spiritual mess’

NEWS AND OPINION:

Concerned about the current state of America? Worried that the nation’s values have faded? So is Timothy S. Goeglein, author of a powerful new book with a telling title: “Stumbling Toward Utopia: How the 1960s Turned Into a National Nightmare and How We Can Revive the American Dream.”

That particular decade has had a long-term effect.

“The impact of the 1960s has been profound — and placed America on an increasingly slippery slope toward rejecting the values that first strengthened it into a beacon of light for the rest of the world,” the author writes.

“Hardly a day goes by without someone asking me, ’What happened to America?’ Or ’How did we end up in such a mess?’ For many, they feel they are living an American nightmare, rather than the American Dream,” he notes.

The book is loaded with dates, facts, political developments and much more which trace the evolution of this unwanted phenomenon.

“Thanks to the 1960s, even decades later, we find ourselves in a cultural, political and spiritual mess that continues to pit left vs. right, religious vs. nonreligious, men vs. women, gun control advocates vs. gun owners, pacifists vs. military — all in a zero-sum game neither side can win,” Mr. Goeglein writes.

“In ’Stumbling toward Utopia,’ author Tim Goeglein looks at the philosophies and policies that led to the societal earthquake of the1960s and how those philosophies and policies have led to the cataclysm America faces today. He offers a blueprint for how we can reject those philosophies and policies by returning to the core values upon which America was built: personal responsibility, respect for life, sexual restraint, and patriotism,” advises Fidelis Publishing.

The book was published Wednesday. The author is vice president for external and government relations at Focus on the Family, a global Christian ministry dedicated to helping families thrive, according to a mission statement.

SOME PROMISING NUMBERS

Former President Donald Trump is now enjoying a “post-debate bounce” in the polls according to Jake Schneider, rapid response director for Team Trump and the Republican National Committee. He’s got numbers.

In a brief written analysis, Mr. Schneider cited a new Gallup poll conducted Sept. 13-15 which found Mr. Trump with a 46% favorability rating, compared to Vice President Kamala Harris with 44%.

“A new poll from Scripps/Ipsos finds a majority of Americans, including 58% of independent voters, support mass deportations of illegal aliens — a key tenant of former President Trump’s immigration plan. The poll also finds him with a 10-percentage point advantage over Kamala Harris on who will do a better job handling immigration — a top issue for voters,” Mr. Schneider said.

“According to a brand new poll by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Mr. Trump holds a three-percentage point lead over Kamala Harris in the key swing state. Meanwhile, almost two-thirds of Georgia voters say the country is on the wrong track as they rate economic issues the most important of the race,” he also noted.

“Those points fall in line with other post-debate data, which found Mr. Trump expanding his lead on economic issues and Kamala Harris failing to impress undecided voters. Trump, the best closer in politics, has always been underestimated. Now, as we enter the final stretch, he’s better positioned than ever to emerge victorious in November,” Mr. Schneider continued.

“Americans know they were better off under President Trump — and they know he’ll never stop fighting for them,” he concluded.

STEFANIK’S QUESTION

“The American people are relieved that President Trump is safe following the unbelievable second assassination attempt — in a period of weeks — on his life. We as House Republicans extend our gratitude to the hardworking law enforcement officers who are working to keep President Trump, his family, and his team safe,” said Rep. Elise Stefanik during a press conference on Capitol Hill on Wednesday.

“However, we have to ask ourselves how this was possibly allowed to happen —  not once but twice. How were there two assassination attempts on President Trump in as many months? How were these armed and dangerous individuals allowed to get so close to the former president and current Republican presidential nominee and likely next president of the United States?” the New York Republican said.

“I want to point out Democrats’ violent statements have fueled this,” she continued, later asking “a clear explanation of what happened” during the two recent attempts on Mr. Trump’s life in Florida and Pennsylvania.

“On Friday, we kick off early voting and Americans start to cast their votes in the most consequential election of our lifetime. The American people have to ask themselves one important question: are you better off today than you were under President Trump? The answer is a resounding no,” Ms. Stefanik said.

FOXIFIED

Fox News Digital — the online outreach of the popular cable news channel — finished the month of August with some very impressive numbers. During the month, the site drew 114 million visitors, who spent 3.3 billion minutes at the site and accumulated 1.7 million total views of the content they found there. Things were very busy on social media. Fox News drew  13.3 million interactions on Facebook, 22.4 million Instagram interactions and 3.2 million interactions on X. On YouTube, Fox News accumulated 238.7 million video views, according to Shareablee, an industry source.

POLL DU JOUR

• 37% of registered U.S. voters are “very confident” that the 2024 election will be conducted fairly and accurately.
• 64% of Democrats, 34% of independents and 10% of Republicans agree.
• 39% of women and 34% of men also agree.
• 32% are “somewhat confident” the election will be conducted fairly and accurately.
• 27% of Democrats, 32% of independents and 35% of Republicans agree.
• 35% of women and 28% of men also agree.
• 20% are “not too confident” that the election will be conducted fairly and accurately.
• 7% of Democrats, 22% of independents and 32% of Republicans agree.
• 16% of women and 24% of men also agree.
• 11% are “not at all confident” the election will be conducted fairly and accurately.
• 2% of Democrats, 11% of independents and 23% of Republicans agree.
• 9% of women and 14% of men also agree.

Source: A Monmouth University poll of 803 registered U.S. voters conducted online and by phone Sept. 11-15.

• Contact Jennifer Harper at Jharper@washingtontimes.com.