Two Americas

We’ve begun to view our American dilemma as geographic, a division in blue and red, poor white and everyone else, Republican and Democratic. As with all things simple, this arithmetic doesn’t add up.  

I spent the President’s Day weekend in Canada, visiting with my parents in Toronto. It was a welcome opportunity to escape a United States staring down itself. When Justin Trudeau, the charismatic young Prime Minister of Canada, visited the White House last week, he took a subtle jab at his US counterpart. When asked about refugees by a member of the Canadian press corps, Trudeau said his country would still welcome them. “My role, my responsibility is to continue to govern in such a way that reflects Canadians’ approach and be a positive example in the world.” The slight may have gone unnoticed by President Donald J. Trump, accustomed as he is to a more direct style of political ju-jitsu.

As I sat comfortably on the plane flying towards Toronto, a tragic scene was repeating itself over a…