The National Divorce Papers

I hope that I am wrong.

That isn't some casual wish. I do not want to be right about what I am about to write. That is not up to me to decide.

At some point in the recent past, we passed a tipping point. I cannot say when, but it has definitely passed, and we are unlikely to go back.

The two far ends of the political spectrum in this country have become so polarized that they can no longer live in the same country. They are so diametrically opposed that it is impossible for them to find a middle ground on anything. They refuse to communicate.

The more moderate/centrist citizens are in an even more unenviable spot. Either sell out some of their core beliefs to "fit in" with the loud extremes or risk being declared persona non grata by those on your own side of the isle.

We are on a path to a political separation or full blown divorce. It might be for the best.

For the three or four of you who are regular readers of my rants, I'm sure you think that this is a polar opposite to last week's editorial. It isn't. Both can be true. They likely are.

Last week was a short term vision. A return to pre Beer Bug norms. This undercurrent of ideological opposition was alive and well back then. In the world I described last week, it will only grow more intense as loyalties are tested on both sides. Inaction by the Biden Administration will pit the liberal extreme against the moderate Democrats in a battle for control over the party. A fractured, post-Trump right, with no clear direction but lots of finger pointing, will fight over the Republican Party up to, and through, the midterms. There will be countless primary challenges to incumbents all over the country, turning the 2022 midterms into the biggest battle between the far right and far left we have ever seen. Best case scenario all the way around is gridlock...one chamber controlled by one party by a slim majority and the other party controlling the other, also by a slim majority.

A big win in both chambers by the extremes on one side will cement the chaos and disorder that could fracture this country into several smaller nations. It isn't unusual in the history of the world. In fact, there are two examples in the past 30 years where a peaceful division along socioeconomic lines was not only possible, but happened with little fanfare. The people wanted it, so it happened. Granted, neither country had as big an impact on the global economy as the US, but it is possible here too. Some would say it has to happen.

As for me, I really don't want it to happen. If you lop off the craziest 10% from both ends of the spectrum, you are left with a group of people who have more that unites us than divides us. Compromise was always a part of the political game. You gave a little to get more. Now, we are full of people who want everything, willing to give nothing, and cannot acknowledge their opponents as human beings. That is not a situation that can be remedied easily.

I really do hope I am wrong. I fear I am not. Let's just try to kill as few people as possible.