The new rules of politics in a 50:50 nation Every man in Eatanswill, conscious of the weight that attached to his example, felt himself bound to unite, heart and soul, with one of the two great parties that divided the town-the Blues and the Buffs. Now the Blues lost no opportunity of opposing the Buffs, and the Buffs lost no opportunity of opposing the Blues; and the consequence was, that whenever the Buffs and Blues met together at public meetings, Town Hall, fair or market, disputes and high words arose between them. With these dissensions it is almost superfluous to say that everything in Eatanswill was made a party question. There were Blue shops and Buff shops, Blue Inns and Buff Inns;-there was a Blue aisle and a Buff aisle in the very church itself. In 2004, America is holding an Eatanswill election. Red states (Republican) and Blue (Democratic) are replacing the Blues and Buffs of Dickens's "Pickwick Papers". This year's race is the first presidential contest since the terrorist attacks of September 2001 raised fundamental questions about the nature and direction of American foreign policy. Equally profound disputes exist over social programmes and economic management when the baby-boomers start to retire. "Cultural issues"-in this election, attitudes to gay marriage and the appoint-ment of anti-abortion judges—testify to America's persistent disputes over basic social values.
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