Question No. 10 was particularly interesting:

"As far as the future is concerned, thinking about our system of government and how well it works - is this something you feel generally optimistic about, generally pessimistic about, or uncertain about?"

Only 26 percent were optimistic. Another 23 percent were pessimistic.

ABC News reported that the optimism level has never been lower in the poll, which dates to August 1974.

That is remarkable considering all the bad times we have had over the last 36 years.

In August 1974, Richard Nixon resigned as president in disgrace, the Vietnam War was lost, and the rate of inflation was 10.9 percent as the economy hit an iceberg.

Still, 55 percent of Americans were optimistic and only 15 percent were pessimistic. As I recall, people felt that Nixon's resignation showed that the system worked.

Or consider February 1983, when unemployment hit 10.4 percent.

Optimism was at 51 percent, pessimism at 21 percent.

President Reagan would not allow the American people to get down on themselves.

Or consider January 2008, when Americans were sick of the wars and sick of President Bush. Optimism was much higher - 44 percent - than pessimism, which stood at 23 percent.

Looking at the numbers, I noticed that the pessimists remain about the same at 22 percent or so in each poll.

I also noticed that optimism is usually around 50 percent, never falling below 44 percent until last October, when it fell to 33 percent. 

Uncertainty was never higher than 33 percent for 36 years until last October, when it rose to 46 percent. It is at 49 percent today.

What's going on?

We are more uncertain today than at any time going back to the era of President Ford.

All this talk about the worst recession since the Great Depression is smug nonsense aimed at self-pity.

Look how bad we have it, boo hoo hoo.

The recession of 1958 was about as bad, and the recessions of the 1970s and the early 1980s were worse.

When Ronald Reagan took office in January 1981, the Misery Index - that combination of the unemployment rate and the rate of inflation - stood at 19.33.

The Misery Index was 7.73 when President Obama took office (down from the 7.93 his predecessor "inherited").

The records on the Misery Index go back to 1948. Only Ike and LBJ had a lower Misery Index when they took office.

Of course, when Lyndon Johnson became president, the nation suffered the misery of a presidential assassination. Johnson showed leadership by rallying the nation behind a common cause: civil rights.

When President Eisenhower took office, the nation was in a much bloodier war than Iraq and Afghanistan combined - Korea.

There was no poll back then on public confidence, but I am pretty sure that through it all, Americans remained optimistic.

A nation unsure about its future would not have achieved the great accomplishments of Americans in the 1950s and the 1960s.

The economy took off, we finally ended 100 years of second-class citizenship for black people -  and oh, by the way, we put a man on the moon.

Today, we have record deficits, a national debt on the level of a Third World country, and our astronauts have to hitch rides from the Russians.

When revolutions rise in Arabia and earthquakes hit Japan, today's president can be found on the golf course.

President Bush 43 was derided for saying, "I am the decider," but President Obama's biggest decision last week was how to fill out his NCAA bracket sheet.

President Obama remains popular; this poll showed 51 percent approval, 43 percent disapproval.

But the nation he leads is not doing as well.

The president needs either to lead or get out of the way.

Surber may be reached at donsur...@dailymail.com. His blog is at http://blogs.dailymail.com/donsurber.