BRANSON, Mo. (RNS) — A night at the Dolly Parton Stampede is a microcosm of life in these polarized United States.
For nearly two hours, on a hot August night, a capacity crowd divided by North and South, Red and Blue, tried to outshout the other side, egged on by leaders who referred to the other side in creative, G-rated terms of derision.
The tension ramped up as two teams of riders dressed as co…