Progressives seek to unite, not divide. And the Bircher style stuff goes back more than one decade. Newt's GOPAC and his Contract on America go back more than two decades. Then there was the Reagan-era repeal of the Fairness Doctrine that did so much harm. 


I think the regressives seek to divide so that they can steal the country while one half if the people are at the other's throats and typically over cultural issues like guns, god, abortion and gays, even if the conservative position is on the wrong side of history. 


It's working - despite the fact that most of the country supports the progressive position, those conducting class warfare are winning.