We seriously need to start pushing back on this Divided America Trope. It is absolute propaganda.
America is more divided than ever.
Wrong. there are a lot of antisocial criminal elements in a America. Though the problems do get more aggravated, there are far fewer violent crimes, political or otherwise per capita than ever before
The American Congress is frozen by Partisanship.
At least mostly true. But it doesn't really represent as new state of affairs, it least not in the last decade or so.
We're headed for a civil war
Maybe; there certainly seems to be an element that wants one, and a revolution in government. But they have proven to be a relatively tiny, if startling, sliver of of the population, the military, and the police. At least, when the chips came down.
I think that this is a media narrative that feeds on itself in two ways. The first being that it is an insidious 'both sides' framing of the state of affairs. The Democratic party is not just another flavor of political party; the GOP Republicans are not just another flavor of political party. The fact is, the Republican party can be shown to be composed of two basic types of people: those being charged with felonies, and those trying to protect or defend them from those charges, often becoming tainted with their crimes.
The democratic party is the other half of a previously functional government (I'm being generous here) that has been left holding the bag while the other party turns to crime, conspiracy, and the craft of procedural sabotage.
This has all been predicated on the moral tenets of a religion that they neither understand nor practice, and that has opened the door to nationalist authoritarianism and outright fascism as they have been emboldened and supported by the most most crass and self serving of the evangelical 'personality' churches out there.
I think as more of the southwest realizes that their water is literally being sold out under their feet to the oil cartels there might be a real sea change. But that is dependant on them wanting to continue living more than they want their opponents to die. And um. They don't really seem super into that yet.
Yeah, that's sort of the downfall of the whole "they'll come around eventually" mindset. The identity some people possess and want to be known by is "nothing is worse than being a Democrat". Death is preferable to losing to Democrats, so the lengths they'll go to are pretty damn far.
@CMLVI
@AlwaysNowNeverNotMe
Unfortunately you're probably correct about this.
@AlwaysNowNeverNotMe
One huge problem for the SouthWest is that Nestle is out in the West pumping out fossil water that will take an eon to replace. If it can ever be replaced.
Oh it's more than just nestle. The governments of Saudi Arabia and the UAE are purchasing swaths of land with headwater rights to the Colorado River and using them to grow hay year round. We're talking 300 foot wells sucking the bottom of aquifers people have lived on for centuries.
And the Arizona state pension fund is invested in the companies doing this. This is Captain planet villain shit.
California here. They wont. People don't notice those kinds of things. The central valley in CA though is sinking and has been sinking since the 60s. For the same reasons.