Why Americans are mad at everyone

THIS is the summer of our discontent. As Americans celebrate July 4, they are mad at their leaders, mad at their government and mad at each other. A recent Pew poll finds that "public trust in government remains near historic lows". Just 20 per cent of Americans trust the government to "do the right thing just about always or most of the time". The comparable figures were 40 per cent in 2000 and almost 80 per cent in the early 1960s. There has been a long-term loss of trust.

At the same time - as is well known - political polarisation has soared. Republicans and Democrats increasingly harbour dire and even hateful views of each other. Among Republicans, 58 per cent have a "very unfavourable" view of Democrats, up from 21 per cent in 1994, reports …