USA 250: How the American dream survived – but only just

One thing that stood out to me as I listened to the various polls over the last several months, despite the general pessimism about the Dream at the moment, was a Times poll that found “61 percent of pollsters believe in the concept.”

Brandon Patty, 44, clerk and comptroller of St. Johns County, Florida, and commander of the Navy Reserve, is one of those Americans who passionately believes the dream is alive and well. “I’m honored to be a part of this,” he said. “Even by the grace of God, being born here and being part of the American experiment.”

“When I hear the phrase ‘the American dream,’ it means to me that the possibilities are limitless—in America, you can go from nothing and find a way…it’s something that’s intrinsic to being an American in many ways.”

Brandon is the first in his family to graduate from college and the first in his generation to graduate from high school.

“I’m 44 now, and honestly, I’m living it,” he said of the dream.

Gonzalo Schwarz, president and CEO of the Archbridge Institute, a public policy think tank, agrees that it’s important to focus on the positive aspects of living in America.

The Archbridge Institute’s own poll found that majorities across demographic groups agree that the American Dream is alive and well. This is because the organization has a different methodology than other polls and asks direct questions, he said.

“If we focus only on the negative aspects and only on the part of those who believe that the dream is unattainable, we can make the loss of the American dream a self-fulfilling prophecy,” says Schwarz. “We need to step back, take a long-term view, and be inspired to rekindle the American Dream for the next 250 years of American hope.”