"(CNN)While July Fourth is the holiday that most directly celebrates Americans' common heritage, this year it comes as their extreme divides underscore how difficult it has become for any president to set a unified direction for the country.
....
In some ways, the red state recoil from Biden's agenda echoes the "resistance" that exploded in Democratic-controlled states to Donald Trump's tumultuous presidency; in other ways, today's actions in red states may constitute even greater evidence of the country pulling apart. Especially striking is that, as during last year's lockdowns and mask mandates, the separation between red and blue America is occurring not only at the level of government policy, but also in individual behavior, with all studies showing Republicans are being vaccinated against the coronavirus at a much lower rate than Democrats.

Taken together, these centrifugal pressures call into question not only the ability of any president to unify the nation, but also his or her ability even to chart a common course for more than roughly half of the country -- either red or blue America. This divergence, across a wide range of issues and personal choices, is rooted in the continuing political re-sorting that has divided the parties more sharply than ever along demographic and geographic lines and produced two political coalitions holding inimical views on the fundamental social and economic changes remaking America. And that destabilizing process shows no signs of slowing, much less reversing, even after Trump -- who fomented division as a central component of his political strategy -- has left the White House. "

https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/05/politics/america-partisan-divisions-widen/index.html

On Tuesday, July 6, 2021 at 8:18:39 AM UTC-7, ltlee1 wrote:
> "(CNN)While July Fourth is the holiday that most directly celebrates Americans' common heritage, this year it comes as their extreme divides underscore how difficult it has become for any president to set a unified direction for the country.
> ...
> In some ways, the red state recoil from Biden's agenda echoes the "resistance" that exploded in Democratic-controlled states to Donald Trump's tumultuous presidency; in other ways, today's actions in red states may constitute even greater evidence of the country pulling apart. Especially striking is that, as during last year's lockdowns and mask mandates, the separation between red and blue America is occurring not only at the level of government policy, but also in individual behavior, with all studies showing Republicans are being vaccinated against the coronavirus at a much lower rate than Democrats.
>
> Taken together, these centrifugal pressures call into question not only the ability of any president to unify the nation, but also his or her ability even to chart a common course for more than roughly half of the country -- either red or blue America. This divergence, across a wide range of issues and personal choices, is rooted in the continuing political re-sorting that has divided the parties more sharply than ever along demographic and geographic lines and produced two political coalitions holding inimical views on the fundamental social and economic changes remaking America. And that destabilizing process shows no signs of slowing, much less reversing, even after Trump -- who fomented division as a central component of his political strategy -- has left the White House. "
>
> https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/05/politics/america-partisan-divisions-widen/index.html

You are seeing a nation falling apart...

On Tuesday, July 6, 2021 at 11:18:39 AM UTC-4, ltlee1 wrote:
> "(CNN)While July Fourth is the holiday that most directly celebrates Americans' common heritage, this year it comes as their extreme divides underscore how difficult it has become for any president to set a unified direction for the country.
> ...
> In some ways, the red state recoil from Biden's agenda echoes the "resistance" that exploded in Democratic-controlled states to Donald Trump's tumultuous presidency; in other ways, today's actions in red states may constitute even greater evidence of the country pulling apart. Especially striking is that, as during last year's lockdowns and mask mandates, the separation between red and blue America is occurring not only at the level of government policy, but also in individual behavior, with all studies showing Republicans are being vaccinated against the coronavirus at a much lower rate than Democrats.
>
> Taken together, these centrifugal pressures call into question not only the ability of any president to unify the nation, but also his or her ability even to chart a common course for more than roughly half of the country -- either red or blue America. This divergence, across a wide range of issues and personal choices, is rooted in the continuing political re-sorting that has divided the parties more sharply than ever along demographic and geographic lines and produced two political coalitions holding inimical views on the fundamental social and economic changes remaking America. And that destabilizing process shows no signs of slowing, much less reversing, even after Trump -- who fomented division as a central component of his political strategy -- has left the White House. "
>
> https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/05/politics/america-partisan-divisions-widen/index.html

Interested readers can also read George Packers'
"How America Fractured Into Four Parts: People in the United States no longer agree on the nation’s purpose, values, history, or meaning. Is reconciliation possible?"
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2021/07/george-packer-four-americas/619012/

On Tuesday, July 6, 2021 at 11:18:39 PM UTC+8, ltlee1 wrote:
> "(CNN)While July Fourth is the holiday that most directly celebrates Americans' common heritage, this year it comes as their extreme divides underscore how difficult it has become for any president to set a unified direction for the country.
> ...
> In some ways, the red state recoil from Biden's agenda echoes the "resistance" that exploded in Democratic-controlled states to Donald Trump's tumultuous presidency; in other ways, today's actions in red states may constitute even greater evidence of the country pulling apart. Especially striking is that, as during last year's lockdowns and mask mandates, the separation between red and blue America is occurring not only at the level of government policy, but also in individual behavior, with all studies showing Republicans are being vaccinated against the coronavirus at a much lower rate than Democrats.
>
> Taken together, these centrifugal pressures call into question not only the ability of any president to unify the nation, but also his or her ability even to chart a common course for more than roughly half of the country -- either red or blue America. This divergence, across a wide range of issues and personal choices, is rooted in the continuing political re-sorting that has divided the parties more sharply than ever along demographic and geographic lines and produced two political coalitions holding inimical views on the fundamental social and economic changes remaking America. And that destabilizing process shows no signs of slowing, much less reversing, even after Trump -- who fomented division as a central component of his political strategy -- has left the White House. "
>
> https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/05/politics/america-partisan-divisions-widen/index.html
---------

Americans spend a lot of time, energy and resources fighting internal wars. Then they blame China for all their failures.

Wakalukong

On Tuesday, July 6, 2021 at 3:51:27 PM UTC-4, ltlee1 wrote:
> On Tuesday, July 6, 2021 at 11:18:39 AM UTC-4, ltlee1 wrote:
> > "(CNN)While July Fourth is the holiday that most directly celebrates Americans' common heritage, this year it comes as their extreme divides underscore how difficult it has become for any president to set a unified direction for the country.
> > ...
> > In some ways, the red state recoil from Biden's agenda echoes the "resistance" that exploded in Democratic-controlled states to Donald Trump's tumultuous presidency; in other ways, today's actions in red states may constitute even greater evidence of the country pulling apart. Especially striking is that, as during last year's lockdowns and mask mandates, the separation between red and blue America is occurring not only at the level of government policy, but also in individual behavior, with all studies showing Republicans are being vaccinated against the coronavirus at a much lower rate than Democrats.
> >
> > Taken together, these centrifugal pressures call into question not only the ability of any president to unify the nation, but also his or her ability even to chart a common course for more than roughly half of the country -- either red or blue America. This divergence, across a wide range of issues and personal choices, is rooted in the continuing political re-sorting that has divided the parties more sharply than ever along demographic and geographic lines and produced two political coalitions holding inimical views on the fundamental social and economic changes remaking America. And that destabilizing process shows no signs of slowing, much less reversing, even after Trump -- who fomented division as a central component of his political strategy -- has left the White House. "
> >
> > https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/05/politics/america-partisan-divisions-widen/index.html
> Interested readers can also read George Packers'
> "How America Fractured Into Four Parts: People in the United States no longer agree on the nation’s purpose, values, history, or meaning. Is reconciliation possible?"
> https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2021/07/george-packer-four-americas/619012/

What many Trump supporters have yet to realize is this: Orange is the new black.
Looking ahead, I am not sure reconciliation is part of the American deal.