Is the American populace as horribly polarized thse days in its political sensibilities as conventional wisdom makes it out to be? Or, as Michael Totten speculates, is conventional wisdom simply a code word for uber-partisans who want things to be as polarized as they are, publiceze by a media that’s willing to go with any sort of “conflict” story?
“The bulk of the American citizenry is somewhat in the position of the unfortunate citizens of some third-world countries who try to stay out of the cross-fire while Maoist guerrillas and right-wing death squads shoot at each other,” the book concludes. “Reports of a culture war are mostly wishful thinking and useful fund-raising strategies on the part of culture-war guerrillas, abetted by a media driven by the need to make the dull and everyday appear exciting and unprecedented.”
If all you hear are people shouting, it’s easy to think that everyone’s shouting. Maybe we should be considering how many people aren’t.
Just food for thought.
UPDATE: A comment from Bill Clinton, at his official presidential portrait unveiling yesterday:
You know, most of the people I’ve known in this business, Republicans and Democrats, conservatives and liberals, were good people, honest people, and they did what they thought was right. And I hope that I’ll live long enough to see American politics return to vigorous debates where we argue who’s right and wrong, not who’s good and bad.