I read but don’t post on the counterposing political threads because I found them to be 95% intestinal gas. I think you’re right in that the insanity has caused a rift but after the election the losing side will slink off or be battered to death by the “winning” side and succumb to the ban-hammer.
Throughout all of this FreeRepublic loses.
I too have stepped out of the Trump/Cruz threads, and I’ve noticed several long-time posters seem to have done likewise.