The real divide in the US is not "left v right", it is "progress v tradition"

The political divide in the US is reaching levels that have not been seen since the civil war. This divide is amplified by the media, internet use, and of course data collection and exploitation. This divide is typically characterized by the "left v right" or "Democrats vs Republicans" factor of our two party system, but this is arguably simply a result of underlying value systems being exploited via the incessant pressure placed on the public by political pundits in their campaigns for public office. What I argue, is that this divide comes down to something more fundamental than this, specifically it is the values that each individual holds that result in them reaching the conclusions that they do.

Chief among these, I would argue that it is adherence to tradition, vs desire for progress that results in the radically different conclusions and prescriptions of US citizens. The US is a nation that on the whole can agree that we do not like authority and authoritarian values, however we fail to agree on what exactly constitutes an unacceptable authority. Conservatives argue against the authority of scientific and bureaucratic institutions, while liberals argue against the authority of political and private institutions. This alone leads directly to an interesting convention where both sides criticize the other for authoritarianism.

Those who prescribe tradition believe that the way things were done in the past or are currently being done is the best way to do things.

Those who prescribe progress believe that the way things are currently being done are either inadequate or can be improved.

Thus, these two values are in constant conflict by their very nature. I would argue that most Americans agree on the majority of the fundamentals such as freedom, liberty, equality, and justice but disagree on the details of what those abstract concepts actually mean.