The Great Consensus

We often hear that America is more deeply divided than ever before, with some describing this as an era of unprecedented ideological conflict. The narrative suggests that "The Left" and "The Right" are locked in constant opposition, with little to no common ground between them. This growing polarization is said to touch nearly every aspect of public life, from political debates to cultural discussions, creating an environment where compromise and mutual understanding seem increasingly rare. The perception is that these divisions are not just political but deeply rooted in contrasting worldviews and values, leaving many to wonder whether unity is still achievable in such a fractured landscape.

And yet, reality is the opposite of that perception.

Here are 20 policy proposals that have garnered majority support among U.S. voters but have not been enacted into law, along with estimated support percentages and brief explanations for their legislative failures:

1. Term Limits for Congress: Approximately 87% support. Despite widespread public backing, constitutional amendments require a two-thirds majority in both chambers and ratification by three-fourths of states, a challenging process that has hindered progress.
Pew Research Center

2. Universal Background Checks for Gun Purchases: Around 84% support. Strong public support exists for universal background checks on gun purchases. However, legislative efforts have been impeded by political divisions and lobbying from gun rights groups, preventing the passage of comprehensive background check laws.
YouGov /Research Reality

3. Raising the Federal Minimum Wage: Approximately 67% support. Efforts to raise the federal minimum wage have faced opposition due to concerns about potential negative impacts on businesses and employment, leading to stalled legislation.
YouGov /Research Reality

4. Legalizing Marijuana for Recreational Use: About 60% support. Despite growing public support, legalization efforts have been hindered by federal classification of marijuana as a controlled substance and varying state laws, leading to a lack of consensus in Congress.
YouGov /Research Reality

5. Climate Change Legislation (e.g., Cap-and-Trade Systems): Approximately 60% support. Public support for climate change legislation, such as cap-and-trade systems, has been substantial. However, such proposals have faced significant opposition in Congress, often due to concerns about economic impacts and political divisions, leading to their failure to pass into law.
Wikipedia

6. Campaign Finance Reform: Around 77% support. Despite public favor for limiting campaign contributions and expenditures, legislative efforts have been stymied by political disagreements and concerns over free speech implications, preventing significant reforms.
Gallup.com

7. Establishing a Public Health Insurance Option: Approximately 68% support. Proposals for a public health insurance option have garnered majority support but have been blocked due to political opposition and concerns about government involvement in healthcare.
YouGov /Research Reality

8. Comprehensive Immigration Reform with a Pathway to Citizenship: Around 70% support. Efforts to pass comprehensive immigration reform, including a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, have repeatedly stalled due to deep partisan divides and disagreements over border security measures.
YouGov /Research Reality

9. Net Neutrality Protections: Approximately 60% support. Despite public backing, attempts to enshrine net neutrality into law have faced opposition from major telecommunications companies and political disagreements, leading to regulatory rather than legislative solutions.
YouGov /Research Reality

10. Paid Family Leave: Around 74% support. While many Americans support paid family leave, legislative proposals have been hindered by concerns over funding mechanisms and potential impacts on businesses, resulting in a lack of federal action.
YouGov /Research Reality

11. Universal Pre-K Education: Approximately 70% support. Despite public favor, efforts to implement universal pre-kindergarten education have faced challenges due to funding concerns and political disagreements over federal versus state control of education.
YouGov /Research Reality

12. Ending the Electoral College: Around 55% support. Proposals to abolish the Electoral College have not advanced due to the difficulty of amending the Constitution and political resistance from smaller states that benefit from the current system.
Pew Research Center

13. Gun Licensing Requirements: Approximately 60% support. Despite majority support for mandatory gun licensing, such measures have been blocked by strong opposition from gun rights advocates and concerns over Second Amendment rights.
YouGov /Research Reality

14. Lowering Prescription Drug Prices: Around 80% support. Efforts to lower prescription drug prices have been impeded by pharmaceutical industry lobbying and political disagreements over the methods to achieve price reductions.
YouGov /Research Reality

15. Universal Child Care: Approximately 65% support. Despite public backing, proposals for universal child care have faced challenges due to concerns over funding, government involvement, and differing views on family policy, leading to stalled legislation.
YouGov /Research Reality

16. Automatic Voter Registration: Around 65% support. Efforts to implement automatic voter registration have been hindered by political disagreements over election integrity and concerns about federal overreach into state-managed voting systems.
YouGov /Research Reality

17. Police Reform Measures (e.g., Banning Chokeholds): Approximately 70% support. Despite public support for police reform measures like banning chokeholds, legislative efforts have stalled due to disagreements over the scope of reforms and opposition from law enforcement organizations.
YouGov /Research Reality

18. Data Privacy Protections: Around 75% support. While there is significant public concern over data privacy, comprehensive federal legislation has been delayed due to disagreements over regulatory approaches and industry resistance.
YouGov /Research Reality

19. Ending Gerrymandering through Independent Commissions: Nearly 9 in 10 voters are against redistricting practices that favor a particular political party or politicians. thehill.com

20. Antitrust enforcement and opposition to monopolies. 67% of voters agree that "one of the biggest problems facing America today is that a handful of corporations have too much power and the government is doing too little to hold them accountable." antitrustinstitute.org