Carl Anderson - a national figure for his work in government, for civil rights, and currently as leader of the Knights of Columbus - sythesizes his experience and knowledge to find common ground in the divisive political and cultural life of the country. BEYOND A HOUSE DIVIDED is a quick read in which he uses original polling data (primarily from the Marist Organization) on the handful of today's seemingly most contentious issues. On-sale in the midst of the midterm election and meant to lead discussion in the lead-up in the opening of the next Congress, the Knights of Columbus will vigorously support the publication of this trade paper original and will help facilitate sales among their 1.8 million members and beyond.
If you follow politics or the news, America is a country of culture wars and great divides, a partisan place of red states and blue states, of us against them. From pundits to politicians it seems that anyone with an audience sees a polarized country - a country at war with itself.
In a radical departure from this "conventional wisdom," Carl Anderson explores what the talking heads have missed: an overwhelming American consensus on many of the country's seemingly most divisive issues. If the debates are shrill in public, he says, there is a quiet consensus in private - one that America's institutions ignore at their peril. From health care, to the role of religion in America, to abortion, to the importance of traditional ethics in business and society, Anderson uses fresh polling data and keen insight in BEYOND A HOUSE DIVIDED to show that a surprising consensus has emerged despite these debates. He sheds light on what's been missing in the public and political debates of the last several years: the consensus that isn't hard to find if you know where to look.
For Anderson, allowing polar opposites to drive the discussion has made the resolution of contentious issues impossible. Instead, he says, we should look to the consensus among Americans as the best prospect for a beneficial conclusion.
