As White Americans Give Up on the American Dream, Blacks and Hispanics Embrace It

“Reading the news, it’s almost shocking,” Julian Zelizer, a political historian at Princeton University, said about the poll. [...] Zelizer said the findings could present an opportunity for Democrats in 2016, since although Obama won’t be on the ballot, key portions of their base report surprising optimism about the direction of the country. “Everyone is aware of the problems,” he said, “but if there is some sentiment in the electorate that things are still moving in the right way or there’s some optimism that things can get better, then I think Democrats can clearly connect that, or try to connect that to the president in power.”