In this episode of Finding Common Battle Grounds, we think about the common survey finding that people don't think the US is headed in the right direction (as of August 2022, about 74% of Americans think it is headed in the wrong direction). We do find a fair amount of agreement. Both agree that it would be nice if the country tried to reduce poverty and hunger, if we reduced pollution, and if people were less dogmatic and more open to seeing other people's perspectives. We also agree that people continue to be worried about inflation. We also agree that there are people who feel marginalized, though precisely why they feel that way leads us down a path of disagreement. We conclude that we don't really have a good solution for getting people to feel like the country is moving in the right way, as, historically, that has required a gangbusters stock market and a common enemy.