Republicans love the '50s, while Democrats prefer the '90s
Even time travel is partisan in America
This week, The Economist published a poll that provided some insights into Americans' time-travel preferences.
The question was, "Which decade of the 20th century would you most like to go back to?"
Turns out that Republicans "preferred the morally uncomplicated 1950s," while Democrats "tended to opt for Bill Clinton's 1990s." (Barely anyone wanted to visit the 1930s, presumably because Hoovervilles don't make for great vacation destinations.)
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
So why do Democrats want to return to the '90s, while Republicans want to make like Marty McFly?
If IFC's Portlandia is to be believed, the 1990s were a hipster paradise, currently preserved in the cultural amber that is Portland:
The '90s were the source of some of our most reliable liberal stereotypes: The coffee snob, the skateboarding slacker, the gratuitous liberal arts major — none of which are mutually exclusive.
Perhaps more important to progressives, it was a time when the country had a booming economy under a Democratic president.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Former President Bill Clinton remains as popular with liberals as ever. Last year, right before the Democratic National Convention in September, 90 percent of Democrats had a favorable impression of Clinton, compared to only 44 percent of Republicans, according to a Gallup poll.
The 1950s, on the other hand, was the time of Dwight D. Eisenhower, a Republican. It was also the decade that William F. Buckley founded the National Review.
Last year, conservative columnist Jonah Goldberg used that publication to complain that liberals constantly cited the 1950s as the "belle époque of reasonable conservatism," mainly as a way of disparaging today's GOP.
The Economist poll, however, could indicate that conservatives really do think of the 1950s as a golden age, an era marked by post-war economic expansion and American ascendancy on the global stage, all of which preceded Vietnam, the sexual revolution, and the race riots of the '60s.
Of course, the results could have less to do with political preferences than with simple demographics and good old nostalgia. The poll showed that the 1950s just so happened be the most popular decade for people over 65 years old, an age group that tends to skew Republican.
And the demographic that most loved the '90s? You guessed it: Millennials.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Keith Wagstaff is a staff writer at TheWeek.com covering politics and current events. He has previously written for such publications as TIME, Details, VICE, and the Village Voice.
-
Nuclear near-misses
The Explainer From technical glitches to fateful split-second decisions, the world has come to the brink of nuclear war more times than you might think
By Rebecca Messina, The Week UK Published
-
What is cloud seeding and did it cause Dubai's severe rainfall?
The Explainer The future is flooded
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
American Airlines pilots are warning of a 'significant spike' in safety issues
In the Spotlight The pilot's union listed 'problematic trends' they say are affecting the airline's fleet
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Arizona court reinstates 1864 abortion ban
Speed Read The law makes all abortions illegal in the state except to save the mother's life
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump, billions richer, is selling Bibles
Speed Read The former president is hawking a $60 "God Bless the USA Bible"
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The debate about Biden's age and mental fitness
In Depth Some critics argue Biden is too old to run again. Does the argument have merit?
By Grayson Quay Published
-
How would a second Trump presidency affect Britain?
Today's Big Question Re-election of Republican frontrunner could threaten UK security, warns former head of secret service
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Rwanda plan is less a deterrent and more a bluff'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By The Week UK Published
-
Henry Kissinger dies aged 100: a complicated legacy?
Talking Point Top US diplomat and Nobel Peace Prize winner remembered as both foreign policy genius and war criminal
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Last updated
-
Trump’s rhetoric: a shift to 'straight-up Nazi talk'
Why everyone's talking about Would-be president's sinister language is backed by an incendiary policy agenda, say commentators
By The Week UK Published
-
More covfefe: is the world ready for a second Donald Trump presidency?
Today's Big Question Republican's re-election would be a 'nightmare' scenario for Europe, Ukraine and the West
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published