Congress egged on by the polar extremes is out of step with the rest of us Michael Smerconish

(The Philadelphia Inquirer) Its been a rough few weeks for our national psyche. The trifecta of a contentious Kavanaugh fight a pipe bomber who targeted victims based on partisanship and a murderous anti-Semite has saddened and sapped the nation of its energy. Its enough to make a casual observer think America is inexorably divided. But that would be the wrong conclusion. There is actually positive political news around us if only we would appreciate and draw strength from it. Consider four recent d First just days before a Florida loner began mailing explosive devices the not-for-profit group More in Common USA released a study called Hidden Tribes. It was based on an 8000 person survey and potentially represents the largest examination ever of Americas polarized landscape. Heres the conclusion: While our nation is becoming increasingly diverse a relatively small outspoken politically-active group of voters at the far ends of the aisle are the ones dividing us. Their loud voices representing a combined total of just 14 percent of us are nevertheless controlling our political discourse. Read More