The author has a rather noticeable right wing bias, but the part of the article where he talks about the cultural gap in the US is certainly correct.

The only part that was out and out wrong is this But, of course, much will depend on the willingness of moderate Democrats to disavow the poisonous rhetoric that has lately become a staple of their party's political discourse. This ignores the equally wide spread use of poisonous rhetoric in the Republican party. Neither side will stop until things changes such that they are not rewarded for doing so.

I think the culturally gap has become more significant in the last generation or so. Not so much because it wider, if anything the number of issues in the gap has shrunk. But those remaining issues all lean towards absolutist thinking, there is little room for compromise on the issues of abortion, gun control and racism.

Politicians and news media have (mostly unconsciously) colluded to keep those issues in the fore because they are dramatic and simple. Complex issues such as intellectual property, corporate rights, international law and so on are ignored because they can't be condensed into sound bites.

Jay