In all, 72% of those surveyed in a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll taken Oct. 12-14 say they are dissatisfied with how things are going in the USA while just 26% are satisfied. Not since April have even one-third of Americans been happy with the country's course, the longest national funk in 15 years."Don't get me wrong, America's a great country," says Lori Jones, 46, a medical assistant in Phoenix. But she worries about her family's finances and prospects for the next generation. "I think we've somehow lost our way."
...And the likely impact of the downbeat mood on next year's election?
"I'd rather be the Democratic candidate," says Joel Aberbach, director of the Center for American Politics and Public Policy at UCLA. Democratic presidential contenders are tapping desire for change. Now 53% of Americans surveyed have a favorable view of the Democratic Party; just 38% have a favorable view of the GOP.
"It looks a lot like 1952," says David Mayhew, a political scientist at Yale and author of Electoral Realignments, though he cautions it's too early to predict election results. "The Korean War was very unpopular, the Truman administration was very unpopular, and people wanted to throw rocks at D.C." Democrats lost the White House and control of Congress that year.
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