A House Divided

Steyn On-line ^ | August 29, 2020 | Tal Bachman

[Twotone]

There must be something wrong with me.

The fireworks closing off the Republican National Convention were sensational. The music was inspiring. The speakers throughout the entire convention did well—no major screw-ups that I saw. The stories worked. And through it all, Trump and his proxies articulated a clear case for re-election. As conventions go, it felt like a success.

And yet as the last firework fizzled out, some melancholy seized me, and I wondered if the real story of the week wasn't the convention at all, or the upcoming debates, or even the winner of the 2020 election. I wondered if the real story was an irrevocable, worsening rupture no election victory could cure.

After all, it's one thing for citizens to differ on a sales tax initiative or what to name the new highway. It's another for them to differ, and differ deeply, on whether it's okay to murder full-term newborn babies, burn down buildings, or release hordes of violent criminals to the streets to resume their psychopathic predations. And as it happens, the clash between the rival world views underlying those disagreements has spawned nightly, real-world battles—complete with actual casualties—within a country called the United States.

The truth is, there's nothing particularly "united" about the United States these days. Even basic perceptions now differ.

[Starboard]

The truth is, there’s nothing particularly “united” about the United States these days.

***********

Its become oxymoronic. That national glue that bonds is no longer there thanks to the Left’s cultural revolution and unchecked immigration.

[Rummyfan]

...on whether it's okay to murder full-term newborn babies, burn down buildings, or release hordes of violent criminals to the streets to resume their psychopathic predations. And as it happens, the clash between the rival world views underlying those disagreements has spawned nightly, real-world battles—complete with actual casualties—within a country called the United States.

Nevertheless, this is where we are. The re-election of President Trump is a must. We will continue to deal with the rest.

[Rummyfan]

...those "experts" who gave us endless, ill-conceived wars; deindustrialization; dependence on communist China; thousands of war casualties; intelligence failure after intelligence failure; the First World's worst immigration laws; exploding debt; the export of millions of working class jobs; welfare programs which financially reward social pathologies like illegitimacy; government-created recessions; botched coup attempts; illegal spying; open corruption, and a hundred other failures. They all raise legitimate, if uncomfortable, questions about the value of whatever we might choose to call America's actual system of government these past thirty years. (Swampocracy?).

So depressing..... What did William Buckley say about whom he would prefer to be governed by?

[Rummyfan]

Obviously I cannot predict the future, but whatever happens, the last months have shown it will be bloody.

[Starboard]

We will continue to deal with the rest.

***************

Dealing with this mess is going to be tougher and harder than anyone can imagine. The divisions are sharp, deep and entrenched after decades of indoctrination. And now virtually everything is politicized.

If Trump wins he’s going to have to make some terribly difficult decisions and take actions that are going to incite widespread rage and increased polarization.

Some serious structural changes will be necessary. He’s got the courage to do it but its going to be a hugely difficult challenge to right the ship.

[workerbee]

The “divorce” can’t happen peacefully because most of what drives the Left (besides their narcissism and debauchery) is their need for power over the rest of us. What fun is having their own little utopia unless they know they’re forcing someone who hates them to live under their rules and pay for the privilege? That’s really the bottom line for them, IMO.

[ImpBill]

Long but an excellent read.

Personally I am for Option 3 and have been for quite some time. The Conservative Republic would indeed have to build a massive Army.

But I am ready.

[Truth29]

"The “divorce” can’t happen peacefully because most of what drives the Left (besides their narcissism and debauchery) is their need for power over the rest of us. What fun is having their own little utopia unless they know they’re forcing someone who hates them to live under their rules and pay for the privilege? That’s really the bottom line for them, IMO."

Correct and another possibility is the US becomes a failed state with endless high levels of violence, a legal system that is just another tool of oppression and a multitude of semi autonomous zones with their own security forces that periodically fight one another.

[Rummyfan]

I agree.... but what is the alternative?

[PghBaldy]

Perhaps if Trump had a term of office as long as Queen Elizabeth II’s has been, he could fix things. Of course, he still would need a pro-American Senate & House, and those are not available.

[Rdct29]

The democrats and their media cohorts are to blame for the current mess this country is in. They use lies to pedal their hate to minorities and kids in schools. I've never seen such hateful liars. I don't know how any white person with a functioning brain could vote for the democrats. Millions of non democrats despised Obama but he was never attacked like the current 24/7 attacks president Trump faces from the media and demonrats. They are poison that needs to be squeezed out.

[MacNaughton]

4 So depressing..... What did William Buckley say about whom he would prefer to be governed by?

Conservative author and commentator William F. Buckley (1925-2008) was asked, in 1967, whom he would support in 1968 for U.S. president. Buckley responded with what would late be called the ‘Buckley Rule” for primary voting: “The wisest choice would be the one who would win. No sense running Mona Lisa in a beauty contest. I’d be for the most right, viable candidate who could win. If you could convince me that Barry Goldwater could win, I’d vote for him.”

The term “Buckley Rule” wouldn’t be popularly used until the 2000s, but the language “rightward-most viable candidate” (not the exact words) has been often repeated. The word “viable”—a candidate who is the most likely to win the general election—adds an element of pragmatism to the conservative philosophy.

Conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh disagreed with the “Buckley Rule” and established a new “Limbaugh Rule” on September 14, 2010. Limbaugh said that it requires clairvoyance to determine who will win the general election, so one should just simply vote for the most conservative candidate.

[FLT-bird]

I have said several times peaceful secession is the only alternative to civil war.

New England and the Acela corridor down to Occupied Northern Virginia would go. Hawaii and the Left coast (not the whole states, just the coastal strips) would go. Some city states like Miami and Chicago would be cut loose. 95% of the liberal arts faculty and a large percentage of college administrators would need to be expelled like modern day loyalists.

The rest of us would be quite happy. We’d probably have to build some more walls to keep them from sneaking back in.

[Sacajaweau]

Buckley was such and arrogant a** and his speech pattern could drive one crazy.

[Mister Da]

The problems with option 3, divorce, is that conservatives often raise leftist children, media & politicians are usually leftist, & representative government, in an effort to be seen doing something, will ultimately legislate away all rights.

IMO, Option 1, much, much smaller federal government is the only peaceful way to avoid a bloody civil war. The Feds should have no involvement in health, education, & welfare, as well as numerous areas of US life. Agencies such as the FDA should have advisory powers only. However, I doubt both sides could agree to such a radical change in national government.

[dfwgator]

Robin Williams probably did the best Buckley imitation.

[faithhopecharity]

each of us can only do what we can on any given day

on election day, I am voting for President Trump.

he does seem to want to repair USA, albeit the DemoNaziCommie party operatives snipe at it all the time instead of helping as they should

this year, the alternative to PDJT is downright horrid especially with the ineligible commie VP candidate ready to take over the White House in short order

[ProtectOurFreedom]

This is one of the most powerful, succinct essays on how all this chaos ends that I've read. Tal Bachman has done a superb job in a short piece projecting likely outcomes.

I like the idea that we go through "National Divorce" and then let the "Republic of Leftistan" crumble under all their absolutely stupid utopian dreams...

They could ban electricity, cars, straws, diapers, soft drinks, meat-eating, Christianity, heterosexual marriage, the English language ("the language of the slave owners")—anything they wanted.

They could expand upon their infanticide fetish by offering Sunday morning child sacrifice rituals in their town squares.

They could import all 652 million Latin Americans and all one billion sub-Saharan Africans, then give them all guaranteed-incomes for life.

They could legalize crack cocaine, human-animal marriage, and even cannibalism. Come to think of it, they could appoint super-Democrat, author, and real-life cannibal Reza Aslan as their official Cannibalism Czar. He could visit Leftistan's elementary schools to tell the kids all about the wondrous multiculturalist bona fides he earned after snacking on human brains during his CNN special. They could do anything they wanted.

Tal suggests that, after it fails, we could re-unite the country and get rid of all the lunatics.

The problem with that is we would have added 700 million Latin Americans and 1,000 million sub-Saharan Africans to the North American population. It would become impossible to evict 1.7 billion people. So there's no putting Humpty Dumpty back together again after the Republic of Leftistan commits suicide.

Maybe we could buy Greenland as a final refuge for patriotic Americans.

[M Kehoe]

Hi.

Over 40 years ago I was trained to kill Communists and Marxists.

Sure, I move much more slowly and some bones make noises, but I can still hit a slow moving target at 300m.

5.56mm