Squaring off over shutdown | www.ajc.com

These are the best of times. Wait, that’s not true. These are the worst of times for anyone worried about the federal government shutdown over the Affordable Care Act.

Whose fault is it?

Those lefties in Decatur say the Republicans are responsible for the closed federal parks and furloughed workers. Their conservative counterparts in Marietta blame that dictator in the White House, aka President Obama.

With an apology to Charles Dickens, whose opening lines of “A Tale of Two Cities” were shamelessly appropriated for this column, this is a tale of two squares, one liberal and one conservative.

On a sunny day earlier this week, a curious Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter visited both sites — Decatur Square, where folks lingered under magnolias whose leaves clacked in the early fall breeze; and Marietta Square, sun-dappled and filled with moms and their kids.

In both places, we asked: Who’s most responsible for the political standoff in Washington?

A disclaimer: It’s easy to say everyone in Marietta is conservative while Decatur is crawling with liberals. You might as well claim that the parking places in Marietta are filled with Ford Explorers and the streets in Decatur are lined with Toyota Priuses. The two towns — indeed, the entire metro area — are comprised of people with varying political philosophies.

OK, disclaimer aside.

There are political differences across the region, said Steve Anthony, a political science professor at Georgia State, and there’s a simple reason. “People tend to gravitate toward people who are like them,” he said.

That brings us to the squares. On the map, they’re 25 miles apart. Politically, they’re…

…well, read on.

People’s Republic of Decatur