The Hiller Instinct: America Divided

In America, 2004 -- the sounds that should unite us divide us...on the battlegrounds of a cultural war.

While both candidates are Christians, their different views of their faith reflect their party's. The president's politics are directly linked; John Kerry's more distant.

President George W. Bush
"Prayer and religion sustain me. I receive calmness in the storms of the presidency"

Sen. John Kerry, (D) Presidential Nominee
"As President Kennedy said when he ran for president, he said, "I'm not running to be a Catholic president. I’m running to be a president who happens to be a Catholic."

The candidates' religious perspectives help explain their positions on abortion.

Kerry struggles for consistency; for Bush, it's simple:

Sen. John Kerry, (D), Presidential Nominee
"I cannot tell you how deeply I respect the belief about life and when it begins. I'm a Catholic."

President George W. Bush
"But certainly reasonable people can agree on how to reduce abortions in America."

Sen. John Kerry, (D), Presidential Nominee
"I believe that the right of choice is a constitutional right, so I don't intend to see it undone."

President George W. Bush
"My answer is we're not going to spend taxpayers' money on abortion."

The candidate's debate over stem cell research mirrors their argument on abortion. Just as Kerry is pro-choice, so is he pro-stem cell research, even though expanding embryonic stem cell research requires destroying human embryos.

Sen. John Kerry, (D), Presidential Nominee
"I think it is respecting life to reach for that cure. I think it is respecting life to do it in an ethical way."

The president supports using existing stem cell lines.

President George W. Bush
"The approach I took is one that I think is a balanced and necessary approach..."

Given their views on other cultural issues, you ought to be able to predict how the candidates stand on gay marriage. While both say they oppose it, the president would move more forcefully to end it.

President George W. Bush
"I think it's very important that we protect marriage as an institution, between a man and a woman."

While Kerry--once again--separates his personal and political beliefs:

Sen. John Kerry, (D), Presidential Nominee
"I believe marriage is between a man a woman, but I also believe you can't discriminate in the rights that you afford people."

So it turns out there are two Americas, but not necessarily just a rich and a poor. Battles over religion, gay marriage and abortion prove values, as well as wealth divide us. In this election, I think the winner will owe more to morality than money.