Is the natinal devide really as bad as the media makes it out to be or is it just hype?

Who benefits the most from the perception that the US is highly polarized? Liberals and the media.

Liberals can only make gains when people are unhappy and the media sells misery for a living.

Key words: highly polarized. The US has always had competing political philosophies.

That depends on who your include in this mix. If we are talking about Dems and Repubs the answer would be no. Regardless of political affiliation a majority from either party want a cleaner environment, national security, defense of the boarders, higher wages, lower health care costs, better schools. The differences are i how to achieve these goal. If the question is phrased to show the divide between the cultural left and their internationalist supporters with the rest of the country than the answer would be yes.

There are some issues that are in contention and no compromise is possible:

- we either find a way to fund Social Security, or do away with it in favor of personal saving accounts invested in the stock market (with attending risk)

- we either put the government behind finding alternative energy resources and setting standards of efficiency or open up drilling and mining on every last scrap of public and private land until it is gone.

- We need to attack countries that we think might attack us or we need to use diplomacy and not go to war unless attacked or aiding an ally under attack.

The extreme Left and Right make up a small margin of this country. They call the rest the "Silent Majority" for a reason.

There are many that wish to divide this nation.

Just look at the polarized posters on Yahoo Answers.

if it's reported over and over and over... it's hype and unfortunately, our country is full of people who cannot think for themselves or have common sense.