Robert Pacillio, meeting people in the middle is difficult when relationships are absent. There can be some transactional stuff between strangers but that's about it. For people worlds apart blaming the other side for misfortune is always easy.

There are tons of reasons for the current American divide but one was contributed by Democrats. Not intentionally but happened all the same.

The Democratic Party over the last decades essentially withdrew from rural and small town parts of the country to focus their resources in big cities on the coasts and big fanfare elections. Understandably where they had better chances of winning seats in the House and Senate. This exodus left gaps across the country (particularly in middle America) which were then filled by Republicans who were still present. Not that Republicans offered anything spectacular, but --even an abusive relationship is preferable to none at all.

Small town and rural people often have more local and closely knit interests than urbanites. They are also likely to get their political opinions and alliances from friends at the church and sports and business clubs as opposed to the New York Times and the Economist. The few remaining Democratic voices in these places and particularly local politics were snuffed out.

The Democratic Party has woken to the cost of this deficit and some even why it happened. To correct It will take much work, time and money to regain a presence in these lost places. They will have to address folk who don't look and talk like them and are wearing MAGA hats.

Many thanks. Thoughtful article.