… Obama and Romney are assembling coalitions that are inimical in their demography and priorities yet almost equal in size. Uniting Americans behind any common purpose after an election that appears certain to divide them that deeply and closely looms as a daunting, perhaps insurmountable, challenge for whichever man wins next week.
Obama doesn’t inspire the intense commitment he did four years ago, and Romney, even among his most devoted supporters, provokes respect, not rapture. And yet on both sides, the choice has stirred emotion that bleeds into despair about the prospect of the other candidate winning. [cont.]
Ron Brownstein, National Journal