AP poll: Americans optimistic for 2007

WASHINGTON - The news from Iraq and other national headlines may be grim, but in Greenville, N.C., John Given has a new baby and his first home, and life is good.

So, too, for Sandra Trowbridge in tiny Magnet Cove, Ark. The situation in Iraq makes her feel pessimistic about the state of the nation, but at home, at least, all is well. Even if nothing special has happened to her family, she says, “we still love each other,” and that’s enough.

And so it goes for most Americans. An AP-AOL News Poll finds that while most Americans said 2006 was a bad year for the country, three-fourths thought it had been a good one for them and their families.
…

Looking ahead, optimism reigns.

Source: Nancy Benac, AP Writer - Yahoo! News

AmericaBlog commenter, ‘Paige’, offered the following which might explain all the optimism:
Conservatives Republicans ousted

Have to break this list out now that a New Year begins at midnight and with it, getting rid of the following…

GOODBYE TO:

Donald Rumsfeld: GONE
John Bolton: GONE
Ken Mehlman: GONE
Rick Santorum: GONE
Bill Frist: GONE
George Allen: GONE
Mike DeWine: GONE
Jim Talent: GONE
Lincoln Chafee: GONE
Conrad Burns: GONE
Richard Pombo: GONE
J.D. Hayworth: GONE
Curt Weldon: GONE
Katherine Harris: GONE
Mark Foley: GONE
Henry Hyde: GONE
Don Sherwood: GONE
Kenneth Blackwell: GONE
Porter Goss: GONE
Dusty Foggo: GONE
Jeb Bush: GONE
Tom Delay: INDICTED
Scooter Libby: INDICTED
Duke Cunningham: CONVICTED
Bob Ney: CONVICTED
Jack Abramoff: CONVICTED
Michael Scanlon: CONVICTED
David Safavian: CONVICTED
Claude Allen: CONVICTED
Bryan Doyle: CONVICTED
Frank Figueroa: CONVICTED
Ken Lay: CONVICTED
Jeff Skilling: CONVICTED
Thomas Noe: CONVICTED
Bob Taft: CONVICTED
James Tobin: CONVICTED
Wayne Semprini: CONVICTED
Chuck McGee: CONVICTED
Shaun Hansen: CONVICTED
Ted Haggard: FALLEN HYPOCRITE
Ralph Reed: FALLEN HYPOCRITE/’CHERUB’
Unitary Executive Rule: GONE
Lack of Oversight: GONE
3 Day Work Week: GONE
Karl Rove: GOING SOON

(and farewell to the rest of the Republican Congressmen/women, Governors, State Legislators, Repubs in power who lost their seats and positions of power. You will NOT be missed!! Unfortunately, I’m sure 1/2 of them will show up as Fox News “analysts” in 07)

H/T to Paige for this list!