Politics <i>is</i> personal for many people. For example, reproductive rights are being eroded by one party, and not the other. If reproductive rights are important to a person, then politics is personal and important to them. If someone is poor and rely on food stamps, then politics is personal and important them. If politics isn&#x27;t personal for you, i&#x27;m glad for you, but i think you can understand why it can be very personal for others.<p>There was never an American consensus. There is just a dominant culture that tries to erase a history of conflict and astroturf it with a false narrative of unity.