In fairness, why shouldn’t they believe that? Our national debt is climbing, our institutions have reached a new level of corruption, our leaders spend their time apologizing to the world for us, government policies are restricting innovation and growth, and China is set to become the world’s largest economy by 2025.

Fun fact: A majority of both Republicans and Independents view the country as being in decline, while only a plurality of Democrats agree. In fact, 41% of Democrats believe things are only getting better. And yet…

That feeling crosses party lines. To varying degrees, majorities of Republicans (89 percent), independents (78 percent) and Democrats (53 percent) agree the government is too powerful.

And now you can understand why Washington Democrats are in panic mode. Their own party’s membership is weary of the government’s ever-expanding power. And then there’s this:

A majority thinks the transition from capitalism to socialism in the U.S. is already underway. By 56-34 percent, more voters think the country is currently moving away from capitalism to socialism. Far fewer voters, however, approve.

Less than one in five voters (18 percent) thinks it would be a good thing for the country to move away from capitalism and toward socialism. Among those most likely to favor this option are those with household incomes under $30,000 (28 percent), as well as those under age thirty (31 percent), and Democrats (32 percent).

Which certainly helps to explain Obama’s falling approval rating. Obama may not be a socialist in the vein of Cuban leadership, but there’s no doubting his ideological similarities to European socialists. High taxes, big spending, unceasing entitlements, massive government power, government control of industry, universal everything…it’s socialism.