Like many political commentaries I read, this one bemoans a lack of a unifying ethic in the U.S. That's because there isn't one. This author is correct that one is desperately needed.

Any American will tell you that a just society is governed by a 'balance' between liberty and equality. Neither of those is an ethic, a rule to govern conduct (of individuals or institutions). Liberty is the opposite of that, and equality isn’t of itself a rule of any kind.

Equality does, however, imply a rule of conduct: mutual respect (of a basic kind: taking one another into account). Mutual respect doesn't sound very robust as an ethic, but it is actually immensely powerful.

So to make this nation truly great — to take it to a place better than civilization has ever been — "Equality Is All We Need" (here in Medium).