Maybe Lincoln Got it Wrong?
No- I’m not endorsing slavery. But I am seriously re-thinking the benefits of the UNITED States of America. More than 150 years after the civil war we are about as United as the airline when it comes to treatment of its passengers.
It’s clear that we are intractably divided in our political and cultural views. Indeed, at no time since the Civil War (at least in my half century plus of living here) has there been a greater schism and more vitriolic hatred for “the other side.”
I am reluctant to join the chorus in simply “blaming the media,” for all of our ills, since it plays a crucial role in a democratic society. But it has substantially contributed to this uncivil discourse – not by so-called “fake news,” but by the thirst to get ratings and create conflict and then pick a side and cater to that side’s audience. MSNBC and CNN on the left and Fox News and Rush on the right seem determined to tell their already-skewed audiences exactly what they want to hear. The commentary is highly one-sided and inflammatory and is designed to produce outrage in the listeners toward those with opposing views.
The truth is that we are two diametrically opposed cultures who just have very different views of the world. While slavery is now out of the picture, every major issue of the day seems to break down largely along traditional North-South lines: the role of government, social issues like abortion and gay/transgender rights, immigration, the environment, guns, health care, taxation and whether the wealthy should bear a much greater or mere proportional share of the nation’s financial burden, military spending vs. taking care of the poor, needy, and elderly, and especially the role of religion in our lives, schools, and the government itself. People may not agree 100% with every issue on “their side” but you can pretty much bank on the fact that they agree with most of it.
Another huge problem is that we are really no longer a democracy in its true sense. The ill-conceived electoral college system has essentially robbed the vast majority of people in this country, including those in the most populous states (California, Texas, New York and others), of any say whatsoever in our national elections as a practical matter. No Republican running for national office is likely to ever win in California and similarly no Democrat is likely to ever win in Texas, barring a candidate from the chosen party being charged with a serious crime (and even that didn’t work recently in Montana).
The divide on these issues is more than an intellectual debate- it has made people very angry and mean to one another. It has turned friends and even spouses against each other. And most recently, it has even caused some to shoot people with opposing views. It’s getting worse by the year and the day and I would not be surprised if we are headed to anarchy. While I know there are a lot of reasonable folks out there who are willing to compromise and/or who are patriotic “Americans” first, they are too small in numbers and/or are too lacking in power to effect meaningful change. I honestly don’t believe that a congenial future between the two sides is possible in today’s political climate. The only thing today that most Americans can come together on and and make peace over, ironically, is war (and not whether we should be at war and with whom but simply in “supporting our troops” once that decision has been made).
So I have reluctantly come to the conclusion that the best solution to this excruciating problem is to divide into two separate countries, each to be governed independently. We could do the EU thing – keep the same currency, allow complete freedom of movement between the two countries, and enter into mutually beneficial arrangements regarding defense and trade. We could also maintain the status quo of professional and college sports teams (God forbid we should break those up).
Naturally there is the problem of which states go where. For most states it’s pretty clear where they belong. Although some Northern states that are traditionally more Democratic went Republican in the last election (i.e. Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Ohio), I believe that was an aberration. It was caused by a wave of populism and excitement over a different kind of leader- an “outsider” who claimed to be a great businessman and jobs creator and to “Make America Great Again”, an enticing message to Democratic working class folks who had lost their jobs or found themselves seriously underemployed. But it was also fueled by intense hatred for the Democratic candidate. If they had a “do-over” today the outcome would undoubtedly be different in those states.
There are admittedly a few controversial decisions to be made. Chief among them is Florida where, ironically, the northern part of the state is decidedly Southern and the southern part of the state clearly belongs more with the North. It’s not realistic to have a Berlin wall situation that extends nearly 1000 miles from Virginia to Southern Florida. So I think that Miami, Ft. Lauderdale and such will just have to suck it up and be part of the South.
Then there is the “Commonwealth” of Virginia, a state that is proudly southern in attitude and tradition (just take a look at the student body’s dress at UVA football games). And yet due largely to its proximity to Washington D.C. and its considerable outreach growth, Virginia has now fairly consistently become a majority blue state. So southern Virginians have to suck it up as well because the land of Jefferson and seven other presidents goes to the North under my proposal.
Finally there is my home state of Missouri. The state used to be one of the most reliable bell weather states – indeed from 1904 to 2004 its citizens voted for the winner of the Presidential election every time except once (in 1956 when the State went for its Illinois neighbor Adlai Stevenson over General Eisenhower). Even in civil war times Missouri was on the dividing line when it came to slavery, leading to the Missouri Compromise. But in the last decade, Missouri has become decidedly southern as President Obama lost here both times and President Trump won the state by nearly 20 percentage points. On the other hand its largest metropolitan area, St. Louis, is highly Democratic and much more northern in thinking. Under my plan Missouri goes to the South but St. Louis itself goes to the North, since it is a relatively small area on the very eastern edge of the state and can be easily carved out without creating an odd border- another Missouri Compromise. Instead of the Gateway to the West, St. Louis would essentially serve as one of the key checkpoints between the two countries.
So under my proposal all states north and east of Missouri (except Indiana, Kentucky, and West Virginia) would be part of The US North. All states south and west of Missouri (including Missouri, but not St. Louis), but excluding the West Coast states as well as Colorado, Nevada, and New Mexico, would be part of The US South. In an odd geographical quirk, Alaska goes to the South and Hawaii to the North to better reflect the views and politics of their respective citizenry.
The North gets 25 states and the South gets 25 states. The South gets better weather (until global warming kicks in); the North gets better cities (in my humble opinion). The North would be larger in terms of population, but the South gets more land to hunt, drill for oil, and build more buildings with the name Trump on them if they chose. It sounds pretty fair to me.
I recognize that there are conservatives in states like California and liberals in states like Texas (mostly in Austin) who may not like this approach, as they could find themselves further isolated. But they have been living as decided minorities in these states and are presumably used to it. If they don’t want to live there any more they should have the unfettered opportunity to move to the other country, at least for the first couple of years. By the way, Fox News might want to consider moving out of its headquarters in New York and CNN might want to do the same given its headquarters in Atlanta. Perhaps they could just swap studios?
The key selling point of my plan is that the vast majority of folks should now, for the first time in a long time, feel a lot better about their federal government and its leaders whose views would now more accurately reflect their own views. Perhaps people might also be able to return to some civility when it comes to discussing politics and the issues of the day. And folks might even be more willing to listen to contrary opinions if they knew that the people expressing them couldn’t really affect their laws (at least until enough folks became receptive to the idea that there was a significant change in attitude).
Granted it might suck even more than it does right now to be an African-American or a gay/transgender person in Alabama (with likely no laws available to protect them against discrimination) or to be a committed evangelical or a person who wants to carry a machine gun without a permit in New York. But again, if they find things too distressing where they are currently living, they can choose to move to the other country to be among more like-minded folks.
Abe – you fervently believed in and gave your life for a noble cause: “to unite our country.” And you are widely regarded as our country’s greatest President (well, at least until the current occupant issues an Executive Order that He is instead). But this experiment is no longer working. I fear that it’s time to peacefully return the states to the country where they belong- joined with their cousin states that share their views- lock, stock and barrel.
