Like families, the parties coalesce to repel threats from outside — typified this summer by the scorched-earth tactics of the campaigns of President Obama and Republican Mitt Romney. But both parties also are fractious coalitions of people who may converge on some core issues but whose worldviews, economic situations and attitudes on policy are far from uniform. ...WaPo
Dan Balz and Jon Sohen have begun what appears to be a series in the Washington Post on "the big gulf between political parties, divisions within." Today they look at the fissures within each party -- between tea partyers and pro-government Republicans, not to mention three additional groups; and between urban liberal Democrats and "god and government" Dems, and two more factions.
A quick rundown of the factions within each party can be read here, at The Scribe.
The full article is at the Washington Post today.
The full poll done by Kaiser and WaPo is here.