The Elite 1% - Out of Touch with Americans
Pollster Scott Rasmussen on the battle for America's soul.
Newt talks with pollster Scott Rasmussen about the surprising common ground among voters, and why an out-of-touch elite class is reshaping the debate over self-government.
On this episode of Newt’s World, Newt Gingrich welcomes back Scott Rasmussen, president of RMG Research, founder of Rasmussen Reports, co-founder of ESPN, and author of Out of Touch: The Elite 1% and the Battle for America’s Soul. Rasmussen explains how his “We the People” project gathered voices from every congressional district and found something rarely reflected in Washington: Americans share far more common ground than the political class suggests.
Their conversation examines the divide between everyday Americans and the elite 1%, the rise of polarization, the legacy of Woodrow Wilson’s administrative state, and the urgent need to restore decision-making closer to families, communities, and local leaders. Rasmussen argues that America is not truly a 50-50 nation, but a “10-10-80 nation,” where most people still believe in freedom, equality, and self-government.
Listen to their conversation below, or scroll down for an edited transcript.
Edited Transcript
This conversation has been condensed and lightly edited for clarity.
Newt Gingrich:
I’m pleased to welcome back my guest and good friend, Scott Rasmussen. He is the president of RMG Research, founder of Rasmussen Reports, co-founder of ESPN, and a New York Times bestselling author. His new book, Out of Touch: The Elite 1% and the Battle for America’s Soul, is out now.
Scott, welcome. Thank you for joining me again on Newt’s World.
Scott Rasmussen:
It’s always a pleasure to be with you, and I’m especially happy to talk about the themes of this new book.
Newt Gingrich:
This book grew out of your multi-year “We the People” partnership with Jigsaw, tied to America’s 250th birthday. What was the goal of that project?
Scott Rasmussen:
The “We the People” project was a national conversation with five people from every congressional district in America. We didn’t want to conduct just another poll. We wanted to hear, in people’s own words, what they thought about freedom and equality heading into America’s 250th birthday.
We collected 1.6 million words of conversation, about 10 times the length of the Federalist Papers. Ultimately, more than 2,000 voters from every congressional district voted on a Declaration of American Ideals. For me, it was reassuring to find how much common ground there is among the American people.
Newt Gingrich:
You presented the Declaration of American Ideals at the American Philosophical Society in Philadelphia, near Independence Hall. What was that like?
Scott Rasmussen:
It was the most remarkable experience of my life. The society was founded by Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson served as its president for a while. There was a moment when I paused while reading the Declaration and realized where I was. It was truly an honor.
Newt Gingrich:
Did you know in advance that the project would end with a declaration?
Scott Rasmussen:
That was the objective from the beginning. We wanted to hear people’s thoughts on freedom, equality, and self-governance. We also set a rule: for anything to be included, it had to be approved by people from two-thirds of congressional districts. We didn’t want just red districts or blue districts. We wanted consensus.
One of my favorite findings was that only about 30% of participants initially thought they shared common ground with most Americans. After going through the process, that number jumped to over 70%.
Newt Gingrich:
Did you find the country to be healthier than you expected?
Scott Rasmussen:
I’ve always been an optimist about America, but this exceeded my expectations. It reminded me that America is not really a 50-50 nation. It is more like a 10-10-80 nation. There is 10% on the left and 10% on the right locked in a bitter fight, and they often forget about the 80% who do not live and breathe politics.
Most Americans still embrace America’s founding ideals. They want to raise their families, do their jobs, start businesses, and move the country forward.
Newt Gingrich:
But you also point out that people do not believe that about the other side.
Scott Rasmussen:
That is one of the saddest things I’ve found. Most Republicans do not believe most Democrats love their country, and most Democrats do not believe most Republicans love their country. Both sides think their team is honorable and the other side cheats all the time.
Among voters, that simply is not true. Most people share common values. The tragedy is that politics has become the one thing they cannot talk about.
Newt Gingrich:
How do we break out of that?
Scott Rasmussen:
The book is dedicated to the 519,000 state and local elected officials in America. They are closer to the people than Washington officials are. A city council member sees constituents at the grocery store. State and local leaders can help lift up the common ground they see every day and remind Washington what the country actually believes.
Newt Gingrich:
You make the point that decades ago, many Republicans approved of Democratic presidents and many Democrats approved of Republican presidents. Then it collapsed. What happened?
Scott Rasmussen:
A major transition happened in media and politics. Donald Trump did not create today’s polarization. He is the result of it.
I trace part of the modern divide back to President George H.W. Bush breaking his “no new taxes” pledge. That created deep distrust among many working-class Republican voters. Since then, neither party has been able to build a true governing coalition that reaches the broader electorate.
Newt Gingrich:
You argue that the elite 1% has enormous influence and helps explain the divide between voters and Washington. How did you start thinking about that group?
Scott Rasmussen:
I noticed that three groups were consistently out of touch with most voters: people with postgraduate degrees, people who make a lot of money, and people who live in densely populated urban areas.
Among politically active elites, the numbers were stunning. They overwhelmingly trust the federal government, believe the rest of us have too much individual freedom, and support policies most Americans do not support. That research started me down the path that led to the book.
Newt Gingrich:
You connect this elite worldview to Woodrow Wilson. Explain that.
Scott Rasmussen:
Wilson believed in government by the unelected. He admired the Prussian system and argued for what became the administrative state. He believed professionals should tell people what to support and that the role of the people was to obey.
That worldview is still with us. In our research, when elites were asked what a regulator should do if they know voters hate a rule, their answer was to ignore the voters and implement it anyway.
Newt Gingrich:
How do we move America back toward self-government?
Scott Rasmussen:
First, we have to convince people it is possible. Ronald Reagan’s greatest contribution after the Carter years was giving people hope.
Second, we need what I call radical incrementalism: small changes in daily practice that lead to larger changes. One question we should ask about every policy is: who decides? Should it be the federal government, the state, the local community, the family, or the individual?
When you ask that question, you change the debate.
Newt Gingrich:
That idea of being free to act without constantly asking permission is central to America.
Scott Rasmussen:
Exactly. I trace that back to the early colonists, who started institutions without asking permission from the king. That spirit of initiative helped create the American tradition of self-government. It is what made America unique and what still makes it the last best hope for mankind.
Newt Gingrich:
Scott, thank you for joining me. His new book, Out of Touch: The Elite 1% and the Battle for America’s Soul, is available now.
About the Guest
Scott Rasmussen has long been recognized as one of the world’s leading public opinion pollsters and top political analysts. He constantly has his finger on the pulse of the nation and his knowledge of history enables him to put the latest issues into a larger context. Scott is the president of RMG Research and founder of the Napolitan Institute. Scott is a New York Times bestselling author. He lives with his wife in Texas and they have two grown children.
You can manage your subscription preferences to choose the updates, newsletters, and alerts you want to receive on the website.