Republicans and Democrats can’t agree on much. Take our drinking habits; “Democrats sip white, Republicans chug red” says polling on what wine people like. When it comes to liquor, Republicans prefer Jim Beam, Democrats prefer Smirnoff. But Democrats may be less interested in choosing vodka these days, as polling shows partisanship coloring views of Russia and Vladimir Putin.
Even as Americans have elected a president who is profoundly non-ideological and has switched parties in his life, tribal partisanship is a potent lens through which Americans now view almost all news stories. Take polling on views of the economy; Republicans are less likely to say that their economic situation has improved since 2008 if the question mentions that is when President Obama was elected, and Democrats are less willing to say that income inequality has grown in that time period if Obama is named.
