What gets all the press today is how supposedly deeply divided we are and how entrenched in our views. Granted, it's often an agenda-driven effort as the solution usually seems to be that conservatives need to roll over on their backs and piddle on themselves, and it's especially seen when conservatives are perceived to have an advantage. When liberals are cleaning out the store, such complaints aren't seen so much. But my point being that saying there is an irreconcilable divide is to say we're too diverse to be served by one policy, which either means we ARE too big for one government, or at least that more of the feds power needs to be devolved back to the states.
Good point. It’s perfectly fine for the states to be deeply divided on domestic issues, if federalism is working. The equal protection clause changed that.