Wow, I had no idea so many Americans were as fixated on Duke University’s basketball team as I am, mesmerized by their resurgence (5-0) since the insertion of Freshman guard Elliot Williams into the starting line-up.

I mean, how else can one explain the dramatic improvement in the “mood of the country” (right direction/wrong track question) on the most recent NBC News Wall Street Journal poll?

The data is pretty clear – in January, just 26% of Americans believed the nation was headed in the right direction, with 59% saying it was off on the wrong track; now, fully 41% of voters say the nation is headed in the right direction – the highest score in about four years!

But Coach K (R) still has plenty to worry about because what’s gone unnoticed about those positive mood numbers is that Democrats are TOTALLY behind them. That’s right, the surge in optimism is coming NOT from voters across the partisan board, but from partisan Democrats who are thrilled that their man has the Presidential reins.

Want proof? Pre-inaugural, Democrats believed the country was on the wrong track by 14 points; the current poll shows Democrats now saying things are going pretty well – 66% right direction/21% wrong track.

Some might find it interesting that as the economic news has gotten worse, Democrats’ optimism has surged. Do they ALL have rose-colored glasses? Anyway, so much for the Duke basketball/March Madness theory.

Public Opinion Strategies