Now the rot is right there on the surface; the people smiling are less likely to be clueless optimists than the people who are happy about the rot, or profiting from it.
—
Peter C. Baker,
New Yorker,
5 Aug. 2026
That gloom extends far beyond assessments of the current time period; the Post/Ipsos poll found that 59% of Americans doubt their family's ability to improve their standard of living, outnumbering optimists by nearly 20 points.
The campaign, which has highlighted divides over support for Israel, is a show for moderates against progressives, insiders against outsiders and pragmatists against idealists.
—
Elizabeth Robinson,
NBC news,
4 Aug. 2026
Independent bookselling, rarely a way to get rich, is a meeting ground for idealists — for young people with a sense of mission, retirees embarking on a new life or middle-aged people no longer satisfied with their careers.
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