I'm afraid the fringes tend to yell the loudest, and are therefore awarded de facto branding rights (especially in how each side views the other). Most people are in the middle — moderate liberals and moderate conservatives — but aren't the loudest voices and don't draw as much attention as the wing nuts do. Unfortunately, even the moderates have largely allowed the extremists to polarize them and pull them away from the center. Equilibrium will eventually return, and with it more stability, but I think we have a ways to go before we see the political fervor reduce from a boil to a simmer.