I understand the impulse. When large portions of the country seem to inhabit different moral, cultural, and political universes, “one people” can sound more like nostalgia than fact.
But I am not ready to concede the republic that quickly. The answer may be less national consolidation, more federalism; less rule by hostile institutions, more local self-government; less forced cultural uniformity, more room for communities to govern themselves within constitutional limits.
A national divorce would not merely separate two peoples who already disagree. It would teach us that political failure is solved by abandonment rather than repair. My hope is that we still have enough common inheritance left to recover the older bargain: strong states, limited national power, equal citizenship, and a shared willingness to let our neighbors live without trying to conquer them culturally.
That may sound radical now, but it is actually older than the crisis.
The way to achieve decentralization is by creating the power centers that incentivize it, not wishing or force of will or persuasion. The Left will not respect states' rights unless they're forced to. Only a RW red-state military can guarantee our defense from the predations of blue-state politicians.
US citizens are not one people. We must adjust to that with radical new ideas: National Divorce
I understand the impulse. When large portions of the country seem to inhabit different moral, cultural, and political universes, “one people” can sound more like nostalgia than fact.
But I am not ready to concede the republic that quickly. The answer may be less national consolidation, more federalism; less rule by hostile institutions, more local self-government; less forced cultural uniformity, more room for communities to govern themselves within constitutional limits.
A national divorce would not merely separate two peoples who already disagree. It would teach us that political failure is solved by abandonment rather than repair. My hope is that we still have enough common inheritance left to recover the older bargain: strong states, limited national power, equal citizenship, and a shared willingness to let our neighbors live without trying to conquer them culturally.
That may sound radical now, but it is actually older than the crisis.
The way to achieve decentralization is by creating the power centers that incentivize it, not wishing or force of will or persuasion. The Left will not respect states' rights unless they're forced to. Only a RW red-state military can guarantee our defense from the predations of blue-state politicians.