CHURCHILL WAS AN OPTIMIST (UPDATED)

Winston Churchill once famously observed that “The best argument against democracy is a five minute conversation with the average voter.”

The results of the most recent New York Times/Siena College poll reveal that Churchill was an optimist.

Voters overwhelmingly believe American democracy is under threat, but seem remarkably apathetic about that danger, with few calling it the nation’s most pressing problem, according to a New York Times/Siena College poll.

In fact, more than a third of independent voters and a smaller but noteworthy contingent of Democrats said they were open to supporting candidates who reject the legitimacy of the 2020 election, as they assigned greater urgency to their concerns about the economy than to fears about the fate of the country’s political system.

Open to voting for a candidate who rejects the legitimacy of the 2020 election:

Overall: 39%

Democrats: 25%

Independents: 37%

Republicans: 71%

Even among voters who think Biden won legitimately, 19% were comfortable casting a ballot for a candidate who believed the election was stolen. That number included 10% of Democrats, 22% of independents and 43% of Republicans who believed the 2020 election was fair.

Right wing propaganda since 2020 is working: 28% of all voters, including 41% of Republicans, said they had little to no faith in the accuracy of this year’s midterm elections.

The poll showed that voters filtered their faith in democracy through a deeply partisan lens. A majority of voters in both parties identified the opposing party as a “major threat to democracy.”

Most Republicans said the dangers included President Biden, the mainstream media, the federal government and voting by mail.

Most Democrats named Donald J. Trump, while large shares of the party’s voters also said the Supreme Court and the Electoral College were threats to democracy.

71% of all voters said democracy was at risk — but just 7% identified that as the most important problem facing the country.

Among voters who saw democracy as under threat, the vast majority, 81%, thought the country could fix the problem by using existing laws and institutions, rather than by going “outside the law,” according to the poll. Those who said violence would be necessary were a small minority.

The poll’s findings reinforce the idea that for many Americans, this year’s midterm elections will be largely defined by rising inflation and other economic woes — leaving threats to the country’s democratic institutions lurking in the back of voters’ minds.

Only 4% of all voters said they found QAnon conspiracy theories believable, but the vast majority of Republicans, 73%, said they did not know enough about the theories to say, rather than rejecting them outright.

Democratic voters cited the economy and inflation as their top concerns, prioritizing them over democracy and other issues like abortion access.

Independent voters were far more worried about issues other than democracy, and some were willing to look past candidates’ election-denying stances if their views aligned on other policies.

Back in 1924, in the midst of the insanity gripping the country over the Scopes Monkey Trial, pundit H.L. Mencken observed that “Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public.”

Some. Things. Never. Change.

UPDATE: In case you think either Mr. Churchill or Mr. Mencken was being unfair to the Great American Public, read the following:

Do you support or oppose decreasing military funding to Ukraine?

Support, 38%

Oppose, 57%

Unsure, 5%

Do you support or oppose defaulting on the national debt?

Support, 4%

Oppose, 90%

Unsure, 6%

Do you support or oppose cutting Social Security and Medicare?

Support, 32%

Oppose, 64%

Unsure, 4%

What political party would you prefer control Congress?

Republican, 49%

Democrat, 47%

Unsure, 4%

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