I Am Worried The Country Is Not Smart Enough To Save Itself.

[TheMastersNemesis]

I simply do not understand so much mental disconnection in our country. I do not understand such destructive voting patterns where the facts are so blazingly clear as to who is responsible and who is the villain. Denial and disconnection from reality is national suicide.

As a nation we cannot survive as a livable place with the GOP in charge. Everything they touch is destroyed or dies. Yet the GOP still win elections that should not even be close the other way. The Democrats should be winning elections decisively. Yet so many are toss ups. And so many voters choose the very worst candidates just about every time.

The fact that so many people are so easily misled is appalling. We cannot be that jaded or stupid. Yet we appear to be. The blue wave should be a tsunami yet in the end you wonder if it will hardly be a ripple.

We have a chance to save ourselves soon or at least stop the profuse bleeding. Will we?

[roamer65]

1. The midterms will be the barometer.

If the polarization widens between red and blue or the election is stolen, then this republic is done.

If this occurs, I would recommend that New England and NY open negotiations with Ottawa for entry into the Canadian confederation.

Others will follow.

[avebury]

6. Imagine if California, Oregon and

Washington formed a conservation (perhaps with Hawaii) and let the US leaving Alaska all by itself and taking the west coast ports with them. Alaska might as well join Canada at that point.

The military in those states could either become the military of the new country, leave or get ready to pay beau coup rent to their new landlord. Import fees for goods coming from the west coast would be pretty steep.

[ancianita]

14. This the national split is what the Russians hope for -- sections seceding. We don't want that.

We want to fight for all the states to stay united, not vulnerable to outside Axis of Autocracies monetary influences should we split up.

This vote might be the barometer of The End -- the last democratic election as united states.

[roamer65]

16. The results of this election may be the turning point, regardless of Russian interference.

It would not be beneficial for certain regions to stay under a puppet Russian government in DC.
That is what would exist if the election is stolen.

The polarization has been YEARS in the making. It started under Raygun. The Russians are simply exploiting it. If we cannot overcome it, we are doomed as a country.

[icaria]

17. tempted to agree

that it started under reagan, and I think the really bad stuff did, but polarization may have started much earlier or possibly it has always existed. But the almost 50/50 polarization - yes. As the film-maker John Carpenter says, 'the 80's never ended'.

It doesn't seem that we can overcome it with the current politics. The best we've seen is something like 'one step forward, two steps back'. So yeah, we're doomed.

[Codeine]

20. Yeah, we already played out that game once.

Ended badly. Let’s not.

[brush]

2. The repugs have been cutting education for years as they know informed voters...

don't vote against their own interests. They have been successful to a good degree but their candidates have gotten worse and worse, culminating with trump, and so that buyers' remorse has set in among a sizeable number of their previous voters—especially suburban, college-educated white women who are deserting them faster than trump can grab them.

Thank God, many of them have come out of their fog of tribalism.

[FM123]

27. so true, their candidates have gotten worse and worse...

[JayhawkSD]

3. Strong words.

Do you not make any allowance for difference of opinion? My opinion does not necessarily differ much from yours, but what makes us so sure that there is no room for disagreement? What gives us a right to say that anyone who disagrees with us is "not smart?" What gives us the right to say that they disagree with us because they are "misled?"

This nation has survived many decades with the GOP in charge. Do you really have so little faith in a nation that has survived two world wars, terrorist attacks, and natural disasters too numerous to mention? I believe we are stronger than that.

[icaria]

13. more strong words

First, I much appreciate your open-mindedness and optimism. I hope you are right.

But on some issues, like global warming, I think overwhelming evidence gives us the right to say that that those who disagree with us may be "not too smart" or "misled" or misinformed or irresponsible. Some other issues are more complex and involve values: so if we want universal healthcare then we probably can't depend on a free market to provide it. I suspect many conservatives or libertarians actually turn that around so if a free market cannot provide universal healthcare, then they don't think we should expect to have it. It isn't so much a difference of opinion as much as a difference in values, and that's really what is going on with global warming, too: a free market cannot provide a solution, so they just deny the problem.


Anyway here is another opinion (wish I was wrong): the nation has not survived many decades with the GOP in charge.

It didn't survive cyber attacks, hacking, info wars, a poor education system, and gaming of the political system. It was divided by racism and conquered by selfishness.

[JayhawkSD]

21. You must be pretty young.

I have been part of this country for 75 years. For half of that time, actually a bit more, Republicans were in charge. This country is still here. Everywhere I look the Stars and Stripes is still flying.

On what basis do you claim that the United States of America, "didn't survive cyber attacks, hacking, info wars, a poor education system, and gaming of the political system," precisely? From where I stand, our flag is still waving.

Just out of curiosity, what branch of the military did you serve in to do your part in assuring the survival of this nation?

[Taraman]

31. I'm older too

but the frustration and pessimism right now is understandable. We just can't get too down-hearted if we are to act. Even in the darkest hour...

Act as if you can prevail.

[Hoyt]

4. Our nation was stupid enough to elect trump. Now we'll see how quickly they wise up.

[whathehell]

28. Um, no. By a majority of10 million, "our nation" voted against him..

You can insult yourself, if you'd like, leave the rest of us out of it.

[Hoyt]

34. Where'd you get 10 million?

[Freddie]

30. We didn't elect Trump, the EC did

Can you think of any other country where a candidate can lose by 3M votes and still “win”?
The Founding Fathers were so terrified of tyranny of the majority they baked the possibility of tyranny of the minority in the Constitution. When the MAJORITY of the people do not want the government we got, we have a big problem. Wish I knew the solution.

[Hoyt]

35. Not fan of EC, but look at Britain, Germany, etc., which do not usedirect popular vote to elect Prez

or Prime Minister. Look at Canada. Plenty of other countries use similar systems that do not depend on direct vote.

We lost by the rules, that were well known long before the election.

[RockRaven]

5. We don't need to save ourselves; we need to find the right benevolent billionaire to do it for us

[Captain Stern]

7. We've always had the leadership that we deserve.

By "we", I don't mean each, and every, one of us. I mean our population as a whole.

When 75% of this country is either easily duped, or just doesn't care.....this is what we get.

[icaria]

18. that's about right

I like this thread because it is brutally honest. You're 75% estimate sounds about right.

I guess "we" do deserve this but I would note some really terrible aspects of the political system like the crazy bad electoral system (2 party system), the senate (20+ states (40 senators) with smaller population altogether than California (2 senators), and a failed Presidential system that has both parties always yearning for that magnificent leader who will save them from the other side.

Not long ago we did have a pretty good leader, but even he could not overcome the weakness of this system.

The political system was left to us by earlier generations who assumed we would be sane enough to fix it as we go along (silly them).

How bad does it have to get?

[triron]

8. Too many are 'victims' of disinformation. They are partially responsible for being vulnerable.

[jberryhill]

9. I think it's worse than you think

Even relatively well-informed people demonstrate themselves to be vulnerable to rank demagoguery.

[Cicada]

10. I think sending leaders to jail is counter productive, either party

Victor Yanukovych, Manaforts pro Russia candidate in Ukraine, claimed prime minister Tymoshenko was a crook. I bet they chanted lock her up. And they did, Viktor was elected, Yulia Tymoshenko went to prison. Yulia’s supporters revolted against Yanukovych, Viktor had to flee to exile in Russia. Russia exploited the chaos and invaded eastern Ukraine, grabbing the ports its navy and oligarch firms needed. Yulia, an oil magnate who as Prime Minister agreed to huge price hikes for Russian oil, may have been a crook, maybe not. Not all oil magnates are squeaky clean. But sending her to jail killed democracy in Ukraine, justice or no justice. Jail for one human being is not worth harm to millions. If Trump sends Hillary to jail then some may take to the streets to fight Trump. And if President Avenatti sends Trump to prison, even tho just, Militia General Ann Coltor May release the Ebola virus in Washington DC, leading a new war for secession. Really, the unknown blowback from jailing a President or Presidential candidate is too big a risk. Are we smart enough to let Clinton and Trump walk free? I doubt it.

[Hortensis]

11. Agree. Will we? If all were equal, Democrats WOULD sweep

the board every election since the Republican Party's collapse into moral and active corruption. But everything isn't equal. There are more of us, but the right has several huge structural and illicit advantages.

Scary that we may not save ourselves when we so easily could. I've seen more wisdom at the ballot boxes from the great quiet majority on the left, though, the ones who seemingly pay little attention to public affairs, than noisy squabbling on political forums suggests. The forms progress has taken over time in our nation, and that we do keep progressing, show liberalism's dominance.

I'm not looking forward to the rest of the days to November 6. Strengthening of our democracy or of authoritarian government and institutionalizing of injustice and social, economic, and religious inequality?

[moondust]

12. You mean

the people and their "system" that made a mob boss their chief law enforcement officer?

Some of it is supergreedy fools who calculate that deregulation and ineffective government will be good for their bottom line--even as it destroys the environment and breeds lawlessness.

[elmac]

15. The corporate press, networks have been a good source of propaganda

but very little news. tRumpsters believe, through years of brainwashing, that "the takers" are the reason they never get ahead, are always struggling, never happy. We know that its the 1% that is holding them back, mass financial inequality, a government that works for that 1%. There is no saving this country while we are in the depths of unfettered capitalism.

[icaria]

19. Bravo - you nailed it.

And I don't think the country will be saved as long as conservatives can preserve the current political system that tilts in their favor. We need a left-populist movement. Mmmm... I think I heard something like that is getting started somewhere.

[struggle4progress]

22. Act now. Worry later.

[pintobean]

23. Insulting the intelligence

and character of voters is much of the reason we're in this situation.

[KentuckyWoman]

26. +1

[kentuck]

24. I agree that veering so far from the truth is a path of destruction.

Waist deep in the Big Muddy and the fool says to "March on!"

[KentuckyWoman]

25. I'm old enough to think of the long game.

The so called elite have been wringing their hands over the supposed ineptitude of the great unwashed for eons.

We'll be fine.

[beachbum bob]

29. we have this situation because too many "smart people" either have been too lazy or just don't care

and the time has come that none of that is an option otherwise we deserve all that is coming. Get invovled, work with local democratic committee, register new voters, be a poll watcher, help support the local candidates and help get the vote out.

hand wringing and complaining doesn't get it done

[oberliner]

32. What does this mean?

I don't follow what you are predicting here.

[Oneironaut]

33. The problem is the rabid Trumpnuts. They're driving this whole crisis.

They created Trump, and politicians are forced to bend the knee to Trump to avoid being voted out. The problem is, a good chunk of America is still stuck in the last century, and the scary brown people are starting to occupy the same spaces as them. One becoming President was the last straw for them. “They need to be put in their places!” - That’s their mindset.