Obviously, we are a divided nation — sharply, harmfully (and I’d argue illogically) divided. We tend to look at the deep chasm that separates us as Right vs. Left, Republican vs. Democrat.

But those on the Left maintain that it’s not even close. Just look at the polls, they tell us: you’ve lost, hands down. You can blather all you want, but the American public has decided by wide margins that our economy is in the tank, that we’ve stumbled into an unwinnable, unnecessary, and possibly illegal war, and that your (not our) president has been a train wreck. It’s game over.

Color me skeptical. Yes, the polling numbers, across the board, are ugly. But then, we all know that the only polls that really matter are those conducted at the ballot box. The Right has lost a few of those lately as well, but we’ve won the big ones, and the next round is still ahead.

For what it’s worth, my own long-held theory on polling is that in our fiercely divided nation, those highly sophisticated and carefully designed opinion polls all suffer from the same systemic flaw: by far, the loudest and most far-reaching media voices (about 90% by most analyses) push left-side positions. It follows logically that the bulk of poll responses reflect more of what people have been told, emphatically and repeatedly, than what they think. We live in a media echo chamber.

And then there’s good old common sense, which surely should come into play. So let’s take a harder look at those big three poll categories:

1.) American economy: The overall average of national polls of Republicans, Democrats, and independents shows that, in composite, only 28% have a positive view of our economy, while 72% are negative. In short, the public has declared Donald Trump’s economy to be a flop and is particularly outraged by his inability — and/or lack of attention — to keep gas prices down and inflation in check.

The polls also tell us that the economy will be the single most important issue in the midterm election. They may be correct in terms of the political consequences of high gas prices and unhealthy inflation; we’ll see in November, and if those concerns do in fact lead to a Republican calamity, I would at least hope that some of his critics on the Left and the Right will give the president credit for having the courage to take action to protect U.S. and global security, despite those very predictable political consequences.

But not so fast. Polling indications notwithstanding, let’s also acknowledge that the supposedly moribund economy is actually red-hot — investment is soaring, job growth is consistently outpacing forecasts, and markets are at record highs. Yes, gas is expensive compared to the low prices a year ago, but not compared to Biden-era highs, and, interestingly, current gas prices are largely in line with long-term inflation.

Keep in mind as well that Trump policies have ended the Biden-era war on fossil fuels and have reignited domestic production, to the point that the U.S. is once again energy independent. Irrespective of the timing and nature of a long-term resolution to the situation in Iran, we can produce all the energy needed to supply our own economy. Our economic position is simply not as dire as the doom-and-gloom prophets proclaim.

2.) The Iran War (or as Democrats like to describe it as “Trump’s War of Choice”): National polls indicate that 38% of Americans support the war, while 58-61% oppose it.

The critics’ “war of choice” characterization is correct in the sense that every U.S. president in the last half century has chosen not to take on the messy and politically risky challenge of facing up to the menace of a powerful rogue nation exporting terror, wreaking havoc, and taking lives (Americans included) with impunity, and on the cusp of obtaining a nuclear weapon that they would not hesitate to deploy. Let that sink in.

The Democrats’ corresponding choice has been to convince the American public that the war is unnecessary, illegal, and a “colossal failure” (Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s words). If the polls are to be believed, Democrats are winning that PR war — albeit an irresponsible choice in my view.

The latest twist in Democrat criticism of the Iran war has been the specious claim that, despite our one-month enormously successful military campaign that all but eliminated Iran’s war-making capability, somehow Iran is now in a better position than it was before the war. That’s utter nonsense, political spin accepted without challenge by our docile media and passed on to the American public as established fact.

Presumably, the basis of this new line of thinking is that, despite its military beat-down, Iran still maintains a commanding physical presence in the Strait of Hormuz and thus exercises significant influence over international trade through that vital waterway.

That’s true to a degree, a gift of geography (the Strait is on Iran’s doorstep). But the Strait of Hormuz is an international waterway, and Iran has no right to control it. Moreover, in the event of a continually uncooperative Iran, that waterway can be policed militarily, as the U.S. is doing right now.

Iran is currently in an economic death spiral. The Strait of Hormuz is its single lifeline to economic recovery, so it stands to reason that its leaders will, in time, relent in their stubborn unwillingness to abandon their decades-long reign of terror and fanatical desire to acquire nuclear weaponry.

But if not, I’d argue that, over the long term, the Strait can and should be policed by the international forces that rely on its use, rather than by the USA, a nation on the other side of the globe and one that does not depend on Iranian oil supplies.

In the meantime, with respect to Trump’s “war of choice” and in combination with his otherwise very active engagement in Middle East matters, the world should recognize and accord credit to our president’s enormous and unprecedented achievements in that region, including the Abraham Accords (first term), forcible disruption of Iran’s nuclear weapons program, collaboration with our ally Israel in defeating Iran’s terrorist proxies, effecting the release of all Hamas hostages taken during its barbaric attack on 10/7/23, initial steps toward revival of the Gaza strip, and building lasting relationships with peace-loving entities throughout the region.

3.) Trump overall job approval: Just 37-40% approve of his job performance, while 54-58% disapprove.

Although it garners a lot of attention, this one may be the least important among the ugly polling data. This second presidential term is Donald Trump’s last hurrah — and so it strikes me as bizarre that Democrats’ central political strategy continues to be to arouse deep-seated voter hatred of someone who will never appear on another ballot (notwithstanding those “Trump 2028” hats!).

And for perspective on Trump’s favorability among American voters, consider his track record across three grueling presidential campaigns.

In 2016, there was Trump’s stunning upset of the supremely qualified, can’t-miss, glass-ceiling-breaking Democrat candidate, Hillary Clinton. Then in 2020, there was Trump’s contested loss to Joe Biden. But note that even in losing, the controversial Trump still garnered 11 million more votes than he had in 2016 — evidently, Trump-fatigue was not a factor in that election. Trump then spent his four-year presidential hiatus beating back concerted efforts by Democrats to derail his presidential candidacy, and in 2024 achieved yet another stunning victory, winning the popular vote (the first time for a Republican in 20 years) and locking in a lopsided Electoral College margin.

Interestingly, members of the same body of American voters who supported Trump enthusiastically in those three presidential elections participated in numerous recent polls showing roughly two-to-one dissatisfaction with his current performance.

Sorry, I don’t buy it. And hold on to your hats, voting public — the midterm elections are right around the corner, and the enormously important 2028 presidential election is right behind it!