....So the American mainstream has been successfully manipulated on both sides of the artificial political divide

...and here is the issue.
The divide is between freedom lovers an authoritarian lovers. (depressingly too many sheep, imo).

Neocon, neolib progressives, the left, the right - all lead to communism
(under other names, but its the same destination eventually - A centralized authority. )

Looking at the divide in this way, makes it much simpler to see....(imo)