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try is things keep moving left. The only difference between when Republicans are in control and when Democrats are in control is how fast it happens.

Yes, it’s true that Bill Clinton saved his presidency by turning to the middle. But then, in 1994, according to Gallup, 25% of Democrats self-identified as liberal, 25% conservative and 48% as moderate. Today, per Gallup, the percentage of Democrats identifying as liberal has doubled to 51%; the percentage identifying as conservative is half what it was in 1994 — 12% — and the percentage of moderates has dropped from 48% to 35%. At the same time, Republicans have become more conservative than they were in 1994. In 1994, 58% of Republicans identified as conservative. Today, it’s 75%. Statesmanship and compromise are only realistic when most voters, of both parties, are generally on the same page regarding our core values. But what happens when the common ground of core values is lost? I started writing several years ago, noting the similarities of what is happening today in our country to where things stood in the 1850s when the institution of slavery was tearing at the soul of the nation.

Where is compromise about whether slavery should be accepted or not in a country that is supposed to be about freedom? Some insisted yes, some insisted no, and everything exploded into a civil war.

What is happening today is similar.

In a Pew Research survey from last November, 80% of Biden voters and 77% of Trump voters agreed with this statement about voters from the other party: “Not only do we have different priorities when it comes to politics, but we fundamentally disagree about core American values.”

Culturally, there is no more room for compromise about differences of opinion regarding those accepting and those rejecting biblical, traditional values regarding marriage, family and sex than there was about slavery.

Fiscally, government involvement in the lives of Americans is off the charts. In 2020, government spending at federal, state and local levels was already at 43% of our GDP. With the Democrats’ spending blowout, government will be headed toward taking half our economy.

The challenge today is not to find a middle that doesn’t exist. The challenge today is for Americans to choose who they are and what kind of country they want — free or not.

Star Parker is president of the Center for Urban Renewal and Education and host of the weekly television show “Cure America with Star Parker.” To find out more about Star Parker and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www. creators.com.

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