Freedom Line Blog

As an organization whose very name prizes individual freedom, it cannot escape notice that as liberty in all aspects of American life seems under siege, citizens’ confidence in major institutions reaches historic lows.  According to a Gallup survey released today, only the military and small business remain notable (and telling) exceptions:

Americans’ confidence in most major U.S. institutions remains below the historical average for each one.  Only the military (72%) and small business (67%) – the highest-rated institutions in this year’s poll – are currently rated higher than their historical norms, based on the percentage expressing ‘a great deal’ or ‘quite a lot’ of confidence in the institution…  From a broad perspective, Americans’ confidence in all institutions over the last two years has been the lowest since Gallup began systematic updates of a larger set of institutions in 1993.”

As the 2016 presidential race accelerates, this has important implications for the candidates and potential candidates.  That’s particularly ominous for Hillary Clinton, who in effect demands “Four more years!” from the American electorate in the face of historical fact that only once since World War II has a party been elected to a third consecutive White House term (George H.W. Bush in 1988).