Frank's Musings

Now that Trump is convicted in New York of felony fraud, let’s say he appeals. During the ensuing delay of Trump’s penalty, he is nominated to run for President by the Republicans and wins several contested states. Those states’ legislatures refuse to accept victory by the Democrat and secede from the Union. They assume control of all military personnel and weaponry within their borders, and civil war takes place. The rebel and loyal states are each supported by guerrilla groups in the territories of the opposing sides.

This scenario resembles the chaos depicted in the Garland film, Civil War.  As a cause for dismantling the Union, would competition between the libertarian ideal of self-reliance and democrats’ reliance on big government be as compelling a justification for civil war as slavery was 150 years ago?  The coupling of the issues of public vs. private healthcare for an aging population with the loss of personal control of personal decisions to AI might trigger just such an interregional conflict.

In any case, Trump’s belief that he can lead a group of disaffected Americans to take control of the government could bring about a very rocky outcome of the 2024 presidential election.  There is no guarantee that small-minded voters won’t support enough political power-seekers to take control of a few isolationist state governments.  Therefore, the threat of authoritarianism that so worries people like Ken Burns must motivate the Biden campaign and subsequent liberal democratic movements in the leading countries all over the world to recharge their efforts to defend enlightened management of our common affairs.