From the editor: The in between

Two instances—one gleaned recently in a headline the other experienced personally--say a lot about America’s perception of the vast swath in the middle.

The headline asked “heartlanders” not to fret over the selection of Stephen Colbert to replace David Letterman in the latter’s late night television slot. The one experienced personally occurred years before, when a colleague from California informed me during a conversation over the 2008 election that “middle America” would never vote for a black man like Barack Obama.

Now, I’m not interested whether one supports or despise...