I have to agree with doug vis coments by James Heartfield. I have criss crossed the country more times than I can count for many years, talked to lots of people,been in small towns everywhere, read many local papers, seen many local TV shows, listened to talk shows everywhere, etc., etc. The level of discourse, the knowledge of the average person, the intellectual climate, etc., etc. are extraordinarily low. Racism is very much alive and well. Housing segregtion is extreme. Best you can hope for is a pretty weak populism. Militarism, chauvinism, hatred of the "other" are stronger than you might think. There are some hopeful signs and many right thinking people too, but don't delude yourself.
Michael Yates