And when Americans were asked to describe where they believe America is today, the top answers were "downhill," "divisive," "negative," "struggling," "lost" and "bad." 'Bad news for the party in power'According to the poll, 72 percent of Americans say the country is headed in the wrong direction — essentially unchanged from the 71 percent who held this view in October's NBC News poll. On the economy, while job creation is up and the unemployment rate is down, 61 percent of respondents in the poll say their family's income is falling behind the cost of living. That's essentially unchanged from October, when Democrats held a 2 point edge on this question, 47 percent to 45 percent. Unpopular politicians and partiesFinally, the NBC News poll finds every politician and political party it tested to be more unpopular than popular with the American public:Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo.
