America, Evil Empire
A plurality of Democrats now calls America a force for evil. The new Rasmussen survey on the United Nations is, in truth, a measurement of civic confidence at home.
In 1983, in a now famous speech, President Ronald Reagan referred to the Soviet Union as an “Evil Empire” and “the focus of evil in the modern world.” That moniker was appropriate, if not an understatement. After all, 20 million people had been killed by Stalin.
Today, at least for American liberals, it seems the goal posts have shifted. In a Napolitan News Service survey conducted by Scott Rasmussen and RMG Research on April 29 and 30, 36% of Democrats called America a force for evil. Just 34% called it a force for good. The remaining fifth, either living under a rock or too stupid to understand the question, were not sure.
The recent statistical slide is shocking. In September 2023, 72% of registered voters called America a force for good in the world; 7% called it a force for evil. Just over a year later, those figures stood at 64 and 10. Last June the numbers remained steady. Today: 51 and 24. The net has fallen from plus-65 to plus-27, a 38-point collapse in thirty months.
Among Republicans, the picture remains overwhelming, 74% to 12%. The deterioration has occurred almost entirely outside the Republican coalition, and it accelerated during Donald Trump’s second term. What is striking is not voter or even Democratic dissatisfaction with the current administration. Those numbers wax and wane depending on political circumstance. What should give us pause is the staggering percentage of Democrats who agreed that the moral designation “evil” applied to America.
One wonders indeed what words these people would use for, say, North Korea or China.
