For many, probably most, people, times aren't the best they have ever been. Part of it is inequality in the distribution of the spoils of growth in productivity

For many, probably most, people, times aren't the best they have ever been. Part of it is inequality in the distribution of the spoils of growth in productivity. Another part is that subjective well-being isn't perfectly correlated with economic facts. Maybe it's the fact relative wealth has more psychological impact than absolute wealth. Maybe they see others struggling and are empathetic. Many middle-class people may suffer from the constant fear that the loss of a job could mean an immediate and permanent drop in social standing and quality of life. Usually, countries can react to common problems: if people are willing to forgo some income for security they can strengthen social system etc. In the US, for some reason, people with identical experiences came to two different conclusions. The left advocates for policies "kicking up" - basically redistribution from top to bottom. The right chose to "kick down", basically trying to strengthen their competition by eliminating the competition from those considered lower than them. These sides have fought each other to an almost perfect standstill, thanks to a few quirks in the constitution like first-past-the-post-voting and a three-legged legislative. As nothing happens, people get more frustrated etc. pp. rinse repeat.