To the Editor:

President Barack Obama is unable to rise above dividing lines that exploit feelings of anger about race, culture, gender and income equality. He may have abandoned his spiritual adviser, who was less than proud to be an American, but he still clings to the idea of separating people for purposes of exploitation.

“E Pluribus Unum,” or “out of many come one,” is being replaced by multiculturalism and class warfare. In a democracy, bad ideas can transform the rules by which a society defines itself. It is an unfortunate fact of life that decent people can be persuaded to believe in bad ideas.