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It seems. It also seems that the particular makeup of the different factions changes over time, as does the particular issue of urgent concern.
Who knows, perhaps some future generation really will be well educated (with particular emphasis on civil rights, tolerance and the proper separation of church and state...) and also somehow literally everyone will have a good quality of life and opportunity to become as fully self-actualized as they might want, while the world itself will be at peace... Thus, there won't be any "big" issues promoting division. In your dreams. Human nature, it seems, at some overriding if subconscious level, demands people focus on differences and, just as a gas expands to fit it's container, from whatever differences do continue to exist, some select collection of them will rise to prominence--exaggerated trivialities if need be (imagine the blue eyed faction vs the brown eyed faction), but mankind will find a way to be forming 'exclusive' groups and attacking those who are different. This gets far worse... specifically... whenever people are reminded of their own mortality (ie. death), which stimulates an emotion called "fear".
Psychological studies have shown that this group forming behavior and in particular, the agressiveness towards members of other groups is stimulated by fear (they used subconscious
suggestion of death to elicit the circumstances in which behavior towards other groups was observed--and that's all it took! flashing images of death at speeds imperceptible to the conscious mind was enough--it seems our conscious minds aren't really in charge here). So, everytime you see a Republican remind everyone of 9/11... you're watching them manipulate the population into greater divisiveness! Likewise, Democrats unwittingly join in the same process when we remind everyone of all the casualties in IRAQ (both ours and theirs). It just makes everybody more afraid.
As FDR said in his first inaugural address "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself"--he was right, and in more ways than he knew.
Alas, while perhaps some generation may do better than we are doing, I doubt that any will ever be totally united; interestingly, at times of great national urgency, people can and do rather easily suppress their differences. The unity of the people during, say, WWII, was fairly strong--society even cast off many deep seated prejudices (slowly and grudgingly, perhaps) which led to advances on the civil rights fronts for women and African Americans (obviously it wasn't total and immediate equality, but opportunities were opened up (of course, there was great need and little choice)). Anyway, things like political differences became secondary for sure.
I think that's what's been going on. We've been in a sort of artificial or abnormal state for the last 50 years--owing to the war and the changes in the world caused by it. It placed the United States at a massive advantage to the rest of the world for a long time. Things have just been so easy on us as a people for so long--it reached a point where relatively few people even noticed "Politics". Many people don't even understand what politics is or how significantly it affects their lives--at least, for a long time there, they didn't. Suddenly, the world's become a hostile place... globalization, wage-stagnation, job loss, outsourcing, and T·E·R·R·O·R·I·S·M. Plus, in our complacency, we assumed that candidates for President would naturally have been screened for mental illness, insanity and imbecility; we were wrong, and we elected Dumbya. Empowered by the 9/11 catastrophe, he began his attack on the middle class... and simultaneously, the Right-Wing launched it's attacks across the board--attacks they'd been preparing--right out in the open--for the last couple of decades.
Indeed, Bush was just the tip of the crap-filled ice-berg. True to the opposite of his word, Bush was indeed a divider and not a uniter (well, he united the thuglicans I suppose--but he was referring specifically to uniting Republicans and Democrats which is exactly the opposite of what he did). Remember, in the Bush-World, up is down, good is bad, etc... it's the incarnation of some kind of bizzaro world, but it's consistent: say one thing, do the opposite. Healthy Forests means cut them down. Patriot means fascist oppression. No Child Left Behind means leave all non-wealthy children behind. Clear Skies means pollute them (clear away all those clean white clouds and fresh air). Anyway, the point is: times have changed--and become more 'normal' again. Normally, we would expect the nation to face serious challenges and being free, have a range of differing opinions. Now we're seeing serious political problems that the people can simply no longer afford to ignore--so they've entered the political fray. It seems an aberration, but really it's just a return to reality.
Personally, however, there will never be "unity" again. At least one-half of Americans are so wrong it strains the language to express it. They are some combination of the following: gullible, deluded, ignorant, misguided, mean/ugly/flawed and irretrievably unworthy. The people who would support this war, the people hoping for being "Raptured" and promoting violence in the middle east in support of their delusions, the list goes on--but these people disgrace America. Perhaps it's time we became a second-rate country and lose our position among the world's leading nations. Or perhaps it's time we tested our citizens for enlightened, rational thinking and personal integrity and ethics--and condemned the failures to a punishment of some sort of national service (until they pass the test, veracity verified by lie-detection) or, better yet, exile them (are there any large, semi-uninhabited, wild continents left (like the British did with Australia)? too bad...). As you can see, I won't be reconciling anytime soon. These people are responsible for most of the problems and suffering Americans will face for generations--and consequently, they're responsible for actually setting back the advancement of mankind for critical decades. Decades that matter since we'd better unite as a species and agree to make profoundly difficult changes (profoundly difficult, really, only for people used to living in 'advanced', 'modern', 'industrial countries--that is, people who are 'spoiled') before we've irreversibly destroyed the Earth's ecosphere.
Though, I must admit... I too was guilty of political complacency (as is true, albeit to a lesser degree, even of elected Democratic 'leaders'). Time was easy, we figured there'd really be little difference regardless of who was elected President... Half the electorate didn't even bother to vote. Thing is, that hasn't changed by anywhere near as much as it should have. I have also enjoyed cheap gasoline, taken air conditioning for granted and didn't worry about leaving the lights on. We need change and we need it now. The last thing we need is to bankrupt our country fighting a war primarily intended to get more oil to burn or ensure profitable supplies for our corporations (and our economy--which, alas, is secondary to profits)...
Final note: people occasionally do surprise me. Close-minded bigoted people can suddenly wake up and see the error of their ways and sincerely seek to change. It has happened. It can happen. As another poster said, though, I won't be conceding anything. We are right and they are not only wrong, but exceedingly harmfully wrong. If they give it up and join us... I can accept them. I won't forget, but we can focus on solving the problems and moving forward as a United States of America.
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