'It's Nighttime in America': How to Fight Back Against the Forces Pulling Our Nation Apart

By: Philip K. Howard

What can we do about our country? That’s the question I hear most often. Washington is mired in a kind of trench warfare, with no prospects of forward movement. And Americans today can be divided into two camps: discouraged or angry.

Americans are retreating into warring identity groups as extremists demand absolutist solutions to defeat the other side. It’s nighttime in America.   

Yet, Americans still share basic values of self-reliance, tolerance and practicality, surveys show. Put Americans in a crisis, and unfailingly they put themselves on the line to help their fellow citizens, as essential workers did during the COVID-19 lockdowns. 

Do we really hate each other? I don’t think so. We’re being forced apart by organized forces that profit from polarizing the country.  

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