Is America As Divided As We Think It Is?

• Michael Miller
• On October 15, 2013
• http://mikesright.wordpress.com/

Conventional wisdom says America may be more divided that at any time since the Civil War. After all, we see evidence of it on cable news. We see evidence of it in government. Now a new survey says: not so much.
According to a new Esquire-NBC News survey, in place of the deep chasm many of us (self included) have come to think exists in America, there is a growing common ground where a diverse and growing majority is bound by a surprising set of shared ideas, as reported by nbcnews.com:

“Just because Washington is polarized doesn’t mean America is,” says Robert Blizzard, a partner at Public Opinion Strategies, the lead pollster for Mitt Romney in 2012. His firm co-created the survey with the Benenson Strategy Group, pollsters for President Obama.

The survey found that we are a nation of eight distinct segments: two on the far right, two on the far left, and four in the middle that represent nothing less than a new American center.
So, what are the common values and shared ideas of this new American Center?

• 66% believe America is still the greatest country in the world

• 54% believe the U.S. is a country that others should emulate

• 81% say we should no longer spend money on foreign aid, and focus on rebuilding our own country

• 49% believe the political system is broken

• 50% believe the economy is in bad shape

While the new center leans to the left on social issues, it leans to the right on the environment, capital punishment and diversity programs:
Social issues: According to the survey, the center supports gay marriage (64%), abortion within the first trimester (63%) and legalized marijuana (52%). Economically, it supports paid sick leave (62%) and paid maternity leave (70%).
The environment, capital punishment and diversity programs: The majority center strongly supports offshore drilling (81%) and the death penalty (90%). It also supports the end of affirmative action in hiring and education (57%).
Most people in the center also believe that respect for minority rights has gone overboard – harming the majority in the process (63%), while only one in four support immigration reforms that would provide a path to citizenship for those who came here illegally.
From a political perspective, members of the new center self-describe as: liberals (20%), conservatives (25%), moderates (55%) — and 15% support the Tea Party.
So, what does this all mean? While the “mainstream” media – along with the talking heads at MSNBC – would have us believe that the U.S. has moved to the left and there is no turning back, the results of this survey say otherwise.
Yes, we’ve changed our views on several social issues, but we also believe that America is still the greatest country in the world – and that we need apologize to no one for being so. Dare I say – much to the chagrin of Barack Obama – American Exceptionalism is alive and well.
Source