^* According to a 2008 Rasmussen poll, 78 percent of Republicans, but only 49 percent of Democrats, viewed America as “fair and decent.” If Rasmussen also polled only those who identified as “Left,” the number would have been much lower than 49 percent. The poll is cited in Michael Barone, “Is America a Good Country or Not?” U.S. News & World Report, April 10, 2008.