A Fractured America?

Red State, Blue State. So the media says. But is our country really that divided?

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The Culture War

It's taken as gospel now: America is a deeply divided country. Red states and blue. We're locked in a bitter culture war, pitting secular liberals against religious conservatives, with the first casualty of combat being the moderate middle.

That's the irresistible media story that we hear over and over. So the real story may surprise you: For the majority of Americans, the culture war barely exists. Right and left may be flinging fists, but most of us are somewhere in the broad political center, content to sit out the brawl. Whether Republican or Democrat, more moderate voters have found common ground on even the thorniest issues, such as abortion and gay rights.

If this is news to you, there's a reason. Conservative and liberal activists are the ones who set the tone and define the rhetoric of our political parties. "They are the small percentage of Americans who turn out for primaries, who join organizations like Moveon.org, who show up at demonstrations like those for Terry Schiavo," says Morris Fiorina, a professor of political science at Stanford. "And they make headlines because the media loves stories about conflict. These activists are important in politics. But they are also unrepresentative."

Since vocal partisans have so much influence, it makes sense that we put them under a microscope. And it is why we followed closely an experiment set up by the Discovery Channel: What would we learn if two families, one very red, the other very blue, swapped lives for a while? The documentary that resulted -- and airs on November 17 -- is strong confirmation that ardent conservatives and liberals do view the world very differently.

The program is just as valuable, though, for what it sets in stark relief: the centrist majority you won't see on the screen.

Partisan Turf
Topanga, California, a community of 5,400 nestled in the Santa Monica Mountains just west of Hollywood, is the kind of place where conscientious liberals eschew gas-guzzling SUVs, buy organic foods, and attend lectures on social justice. No surprise that Topanga voters battered George W. Bush in their 2004 vote, going 76% for John Kerry.

No surprise, either, that James and Rebecca Catterall found Topanga to be a congenial home for themselves and their three children: Lisa, 32, Hannah, 21, and Grady, 18. James, an education professor at UCLA, is committed to social and political causes, but Rebecca is more of an activist. A secondary school history teacher, she worked on the Kerry campaign and is a devoted member of the Topanga Democratic Club. In accepting the offer to move into a red state home, Rebecca thought of it as "our blue mission to promote liberalism."

Clinton, Louisiana, is an even smaller community than Topanga, located some 30 miles north of Baton Rouge. Steve Cambre lives there with his wife, Anita, and their 14-year-old daughter, Madelyn, and has a business servicing office equipment. Their friends and neighbors in Clinton tend to hold strongly conservative views, but, as a rule, they don't go "walking around wanting to talk about politics," says Anita. Steve, meanwhile, is passionate about policy issues: He devours books by such authors as Newt Gingrich and Laura Ingraham, regularly reads conservative journals, and never shies away from a political debate.

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• President Bush is unyielding in his vision for America. To voters, that's either high praise or a huge problem.
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• George W. Bush On the Record
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• John Kerry On the Record
• Kerry discusses his concerns for the country.
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• John Kerry: Back Into Battle
• War hero and war protester, John Kerry has to prove he's the right man for the nation's toughest job.
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• McCain and Biden: How To Win In Iraq
• Two Senators give their plans for victory.
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