Republicans and Democrats really are living in two different worlds, with not just ideologies but basic facts in dispute.

The internet certainly plays a significant role in this, with many people cordoning off their media consumption by partisan preference, as opposed to the days when CBS News anchor Walter Cronkite was the most widely watched newsman among liberals and conservatives alike -- and the most trusted man in America. But it’s also a cultural phenomenon arguably now reaching its natural apotheosis, a split that began with the rise of the counterculture in the 1960s -- and followed by a backlash that resounds to this day. (Democratic presidential nominee Bill Clinton would bring change to America, Pat Buchanan said at the 1992 GOP convention, but “it is not the kind of change we can tolerate in a nation that we still call God’s country.”)

Many Americans were in denial for years about the country’s extreme partisan divisions. Now it’s widely accepted that these are the “Disunited States of America.” That acceptance has even led to an increased interest in the history -- and possible future -- of secession movements, which at the very least has given us some interesting maps to pore over.

Just how differently do Republicans and Democrats interpret what’s going on in the country’s politics? The best way to realize the starkness of it is by looking at our views of President Donald Trump and his actions. Let’s consider a newly released Quinnipiac Poll that asked respondents about Trump and what’s in Robert Mueller’s special-counsel report. Here’s a sampling of questions and their answers from the June 6-10 poll of 1,214 voters (equivocal responses, such as “Not sure,” not included):

Do you think that Congress should investigate to determine whether or not to bring impeachment charges against President Trump, or don't you think so?

Yes

Republicans: 8 percent

Democrats 84 percent

No

Republicans: 90 percent

Democrats: 14 percent

Regardless of whether or not you think Congress should begin the process to impeach President Trump, do you think that President Trump deserves to be impeached, or don't you think so?

Yes

Republicans: 3 percent

Democrats: 85 percent

No

Republicans: 95 percent

Democrats: 10 percent

Do you think that President Trump committed any crimes before he was president, or don't you think so?

Yes

Republicans: 16 percent

Democrats: 90 percent

No

Republicans: 64 percent

Democrats: 5 percent

Do you think that the Mueller report cleared President Trump of any wrongdoing, or don't you think so?

Yes

Republicans: 74 percent

Democrats: 7 percent

No

Republicans: 16 percent

Democrats: 86 percent

Do you think that Attorney General Barr accurately represented the conclusions of the Mueller report to the American public, or don't you think so?

Yes

Republicans: 71 percent

Democrats: 4 percent

No

Republicans: 17 percent

Democrats: 87 percent

Read the entire poll results.

-- Douglas Perry

@douglasmperry

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