A headline based on a Gallup poll tells us that "Donald Trump is more popular with Republicans than almost any president since WWII with an approval rating of 87 per cent."  That, we are informed, is even higher than the numbers among Democrats for JFK.

How can this be when the president's overall approval rating among voters is below 50%?

In fact, those numbers make perfect sense.  They fit what we could expect in a politically (and otherwise) divided nation for a president who is, some say, like none before him when it comes to doing what he promised voters he would do.

President Trump's theme, both as he campaigned for the office and daily since he won the position, is to "Make America Great Again."  Now, one would think that such a goal would itself be universally popular, with, perhaps, just some question about how that was to be accomplished, or specifically on what basis that "greatness" was to be evaluated

But is restoring the nation's economic footing a partisan thing, or something we'd expect all to see as great?  Is greatly rising employment being experienced by every group – educated and less educated, skilled and less skilled, black, white, Hispanic and Asian, male and female?  Is that of only partisan interest?

The answer seems to be, rather shockingly, yes.

This past week, a once popular TV personality, Bill Maher, said that he was hoping for a major recession – this despite knowing the pain and suffering it would cause many, many people.  To him – a man of significant wealth – such loss of what one would think everyone judged as "greatness" is desirable if it hurts the president's popularity and support.

That is how divided our nation is.  Some see improved life and security for all as "great."  Others do not.

For that reason, President Trump, who has done even more than he promised in more than a few areas – things that are benefiting almost all Americans – is loved and supported by some and loathed and unsupported by others.

The distinction seems simply to be how one feels about America and the daily joy and satisfaction, plus the future hopes and dreams, of the American people.

Bottom line: Are you for them or against them?

That 87% of Republicans have come to support President Trump – even those to whom his "N.Y. ways" are foreign and, perhaps, even off-putting – says a lot about the man, the party, and America as a whole.

That so many Democrats do not – well, that speaks just as loudly.

The good that President Trump is doing goes beyond numbers, or even people's hopes and dreams.  For along with all that, it is opening eyes to the truth of where the various political entities stand regarding the welfare of the American people.  That some are for us, and others simply don't seem to care.  For that eye-opening, all of our Republic should be glad.