A study by Philip Klinkner, the James S. Sherman Associate Professor of Government, was featured in an article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
In his article, "The truths that might be false, and how they bear false witness to Campaign 2004," David Shribman, executive editor of the Post-Gazette, writes:
... Truth is usually a casualty of elections, too. And when there's an election during wartime, as there is this year, truth is especially vulnerable. ...
Potentially Specious Truth No. 1: This is one of the most politically polarized periods in history.
...This highly alliterative phrase has been peddled so often that it's become part of the wallpaper of the election. I'm quite sure I've written it myself, very likely more than once. It's one of the baseline assumptions of Campaign 2004 but it may turn out to be the phrase that launched a thousand shibboleths.
Philip A. Klinkner, a political scientist at New York's Hamilton College, has looked at the contemporary period closely and warns there is little evidence to support this popular idea. Writing in The Forum, an impressive new online political journal from Berkeley Electronic Press, he argues that there is "little evidence to support the notion that we are rapidly dividing into two Americas," adding that the average American, whether he resides in a Blue (Democratic) or a Red (Republican) area, has "a great degree of exposure to members of the opposing political party."
Professor Klinkner suggests that commentators aren't attentive to the nuances of political choice in various parts of the country. He's probably right, but what may be closer to the truth is that commentators are confusing a nation that is closely divided politically with one that is polarized politically. They're different.
The Gadlfyer, an online political magazine, and The Forum, a journal of contemporary politics, have recently published Professor Klinkner's work on the "Red and Blue Scare." He frequently writes about American politics and current events on his blog, Polysigh.
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