The Great Divide
We are repeatedly told that the political divide in the US is as great now as it was in the years leading up to the civil war. A Google search on the topic yields these headlines: Trump leaves America at its most divided since the Civil War, CNN, Jan 19, 2021; Analyst says US is most divided since Civil War, The Hill, Oct 3, 2018; Is the US really heading for a second civil war?, The Guardian, Jan 9, 2022; and Biden says US more divided than at any time since the Civil Was, Fox News, June 24, 2021. This list goes on and it might be so or maybe not. But, most of the analysis behind these headlines misses the point. The divide, such as it is, is framed in terms of hyper-partisan politics. And clearly the policy differences between the parties now are more than squabbles over taxes, defense spending, social welfare programs and such. The divide is about the form and shape of the Union going forward. Until now it’s been hidden in fog and shadows. The Covid-19 pandemic has broug...