john maddente | midwestern clarity

I t became clearer after President Obama’s re-election that we're two Americas.   Has our country been this divided since the Vietnam War, or perhaps the Civil War?  Mr. Obama captured just fifty-one percent of the popular vote.   L ast November, I anticipated more reaction from voters in the Center,  due in part to the now infamous, “ You didn’t build that ” quip.  I believed it validated deep  concerns held by many Americans  that President Obama remains anti-business and anti-free market.  I  also believed t here was no way to take such a gaffe out of context (as claimed by the  President and his defenders) and that the ripple effect would devastate the President's campaign.  I was obviously wrong about the fallout as f ar fewer swing voters in the Center cared about the issue than I'd imagined.   Setting aside the unpredictable American Center, the tw...