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Two Americas : the country is no longer culturally cohesive.
National Review Online ^ | November 7, 2012 | Michael Barone

Posted on 11/07/2012 9:10:56 AM PST by teflon9

But whether Barack Obama is elected to a second term or Mitt Romney is elected the 45th president, the contours of their support during this fiercely fought campaign show that we live in two Americas.

The culturally cohesive America of the 1950s that some of us remember, usually glossing over racial segregation and the civil-rights movement, is no longer with us and hasn’t been for some time.

Niche media has replaced universal media.

One America listens to Rush Limbaugh, the other to NPR. Each America has its favorite cable news channel. As for entertainment, Americans have 100-plus cable channels to choose from, and the Internet provides many more options

We tend to choose the America that is culturally congenial. Most people in the San Francisco Bay area wouldn’t consider living in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, even for much better money. Most metroplexers would never relocate to the Bay Area.

There are plenty of smart and creative and successful people in both Americas. But they don’t like to mix with each other these days.

One America tends to be traditionally religious, personally charitable, appreciative of entrepreneurs, and suspicious of government. The other tends to be secular or only mildly religious, less charitable, skeptical of business, and supportive of government as an instrument to advance liberal causes.

The more conservative America tends to be relatively cohesive. Evangelical Protestants and white Catholics make common cause ... Southern or northern accents don’t much matter.

That’s typical of the Republican party, which has always had core support from people who are seen as typical Americans but are not by themselves a majority in our always diverse country.

The more liberal America tends to be diverse. Like Obama’s 2008 coalition, it includes many at the top and at the bottom of the economic ladder.

(Excerpt) Read more at nationalreview.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Government; News/Current Events; Philosophy
KEYWORDS: disunity; division; polarization; separatism
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To: schu

So true


21 posted on 11/07/2012 9:37:22 AM PST by TheCPA
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To: teflon9
The wheat is being separated from the chaff. The chaff is being bundled together for the fire.
The liberals are being packed tightly into the cities, so when the crash hits, they'll have nothing to eat but each other. When the quakes hit, the ocean will consume those that are still left.

After that, the world has 1,000 years of peace on earth. Evey man will sit under and tend to his own vine, and no man will be able to take it away from him.

22 posted on 11/07/2012 9:39:42 AM PST by concerned about politics ("Get thee behind me, Liberal")
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To: Above My Pay Grade

The Dems and Libs will never go for this. Who would they take from?


23 posted on 11/07/2012 9:41:37 AM PST by Bishop_Malachi (Liberal Socialism - A philosophy which advocates spreading a low standard of living equally.)
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To: Above My Pay Grade

Are you serious?
Talk about economic suicide. How many of us are willing to sell their house at a loss, quit their job, uproot the family and relocate to God knows what.


24 posted on 11/07/2012 9:43:30 AM PST by fivecatsandadog (Don't let reality ruin your day.)
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To: Above My Pay Grade
The “Red States” (How God fearing, Capitalist, Patriotic states ever got to be the “Red” states, I don’t understand),

It wasn't always that way. I think the MSM sorts got together at some point and decided that it might be harmful if the Dim states continued to be illustrated as 'red' states.

1968 - Nixon in Blue

Looks like it changed in 1992.

25 posted on 11/07/2012 9:45:40 AM PST by Will88
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To: teflon9

Highly doubt we can put it back together. The country was more cohesive in the 1960’s than it is now. And it’s only going to get worse. Both sides might as well be from totally different planets. There is no common ground whatsoever.


26 posted on 11/07/2012 9:45:54 AM PST by chessplayer
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To: kildak
Isn’t Michael Barone the one who predicted a landslide for Romney? Yeah, like he’s credible...

I refuse to bash Barone. He is still the premier voting analyst in America, bar none (little pun there).

Barone had a perfectly reasonable interpretation of the pre-election polls. He said "the fundamentals" were there for a Romney landslide.

And indeed, those fundamentals --the horrible economy primarily-- were there. If this were 30-40 years ago, Obama would've been out on his ass, just like Carter.

But some things have changed in America in the last 30-40 years, much worse than either we, or Michael Barone, realized ... until last night.

27 posted on 11/07/2012 9:45:57 AM PST by shhrubbery! (NIH!)
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To: kildak
Isn’t Michael Barone the one who predicted a landslide for Romney? Yeah, like he’s credible...

I refuse to bash Barone. He is still the premier voting analyst in America, bar none (little pun there).

Barone had a perfectly reasonable interpretation of the pre-election polls. He said "the fundamentals" were there for a Romney landslide.

And indeed, those fundamentals --the horrible economy primarily-- were there. If this were 30-40 years ago, Obama would've been out on his ass, just like Carter.

But some things have changed in America in the last 30-40 years, much worse than either we, or Michael Barone, realized ... until last night.

28 posted on 11/07/2012 9:45:57 AM PST by shhrubbery! (NIH!)
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To: Bishop_Malachi

>>>The Dems and Libs will never go for this. Who would they take from?<<<

I think they’d go for it. In their minds, the only thing keeping them from hedonistic bliss, is us greedy, uptight, bible-thumping, knuckle-dragging, mouth breathing conservatives.

They have no concept of the idea that other people’s money actually comes from (wait for it)... other people. The rude awakening won’t come until after the divorce papers are signed.

We should offer them a sweetheart deal, giving in on almost every disputed piece of territory or other assets. (We can buy them back cheap from them for food, fuel and blankets, when they are cold and starving in a few years).


29 posted on 11/07/2012 9:46:48 AM PST by Above My Pay Grade
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To: teflon9
I'd like to physically divide the 2 Americas, then put up a wall so that those on the liberal side can't escape from the hell-hole they're creating and come over to corrupt and ruin our side too. Just a dream...

We've passed the tipping point, where the immoral outnumbers the moral, the pagans the God worshippers, the takers the producers. Decline is inevitable.

Thank-you, George, Ben, Thomas, John, and others who gave us so much. I'm glad you're not here to see what your unique nation and government has become.

30 posted on 11/07/2012 9:47:51 AM PST by mikeus_maximus
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To: kosciusko51
Can we put Humpty Dumpty back together, or are we headed the way of Czechoslovakia or Yugoslavia?

"If I had a choice, the latter. You can't fix stupid."

Agree whole-heartedly with the sentiment expressed above. America as we knew it is dead. It is time for the two nations to take their separate paths.
31 posted on 11/07/2012 9:49:22 AM PST by Trod Upon (Obama: Making the Carter malaise look good. Misery Index in 3...2...1)
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To: teflon9

Tribalism/globalism.


32 posted on 11/07/2012 9:49:22 AM PST by SaraJohnson
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To: Trod Upon
Agree whole-heartedly with the sentiment expressed above. America as we knew it is dead. It is time for the two nations to take their separate paths.

The libs will never agree to it. Our side has all the wealth. What would they all live on? A welfare nation with no producers will last a few days at most.
33 posted on 11/07/2012 9:53:21 AM PST by ZX12R (FUBO GTFO 2012 !)
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To: Above My Pay Grade; Will88

It changed on Election Night 2000, and willfully so by the Orwellian Newsspeak media with GOPers refusing to repudiate the false label. The irony of Conservatives exclaiming they want to paint America “Red”, well... that’s exactly what we got. Red is Communist.


34 posted on 11/07/2012 9:53:51 AM PST by fieldmarshaldj (Resist We Much)
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To: kildak
When is the last time you accurately predicted the future?

I really didn't see the republican party that showed up and waited in line at chickfila decide to sit at home rather than vote for the future of the nation.

But he is right. The Obama voters I know have a radically different idea of how things work than I do. Our differences are irreconcilable.

35 posted on 11/07/2012 9:55:48 AM PST by hopespringseternal
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To: ZX12R
The libs will never agree to it. Our side has all the wealth. What would they all live on? A welfare nation with no producers will last a few days at most.

You don't know many liberals. They believe that the government creates wealth and the rich steal too much of it. As far as they are concerned, fewer rich people means more money for them.

36 posted on 11/07/2012 9:58:36 AM PST by hopespringseternal
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To: fivecatsandadog

I can only speak for one.


37 posted on 11/07/2012 10:00:29 AM PST by Trod Upon (Obama: Making the Carter malaise look good. Misery Index in 3...2...1)
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To: teflon9

“Can we put Humpty Dumpty back together, or are we headed the way of Czechoslovakia or Yugoslavia?”

Dissolution. Finally.


38 posted on 11/07/2012 10:05:34 AM PST by Psalm 144 (Turns out that White Horse was just a whitewashed jackass.)
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To: shhrubbery!
I refuse to bash Barone.

Me either. A lot of smart guys just got it wrong. The University of Colorado researchers miscalled the results, too. Last night was the first time they got it wrong.

39 posted on 11/07/2012 10:17:22 AM PST by ishmac (Lady Thatcher:"There are no permanent defeats in politics because there are no permanent victories.)
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To: teflon9
the two Americas ... it doesn't become any more clear then this:

which do you align with? which America do you want to belong?

which do you think the founders envisioned?

40 posted on 11/07/2012 10:18:06 AM PST by sten (fighting tyranny never goes out of style)
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