David Harsanyi: We Don’t Need A “National Divorce,” We Need More Federalism

Marjorie Taylor Greene Says The country requires a national divorce. “We need to separate by red states and blue states and shrink the federal government,” She tweeted. “Everyone I talk to says this. From the sick and disgusting woke culture issues shoved down our throats to the Democrat’s traitorous America Last policies, we are done.”

I generally speak in the general direction of sympathetic The idea that the political left cannot accept a nation with a diverse population is absurd. Virtually every legislative policy proposal from modern Democrats — and every policy issued By edict — strengthens federal power and economic control over states. Modern Democrats are champions for direct democracyThis is an attempt to undermine the choices made by local communities and individuals. The D.C. bureaucracy is there to stop states from getting what they want. They work with Democrats to ahref=”https://www.nationalreview.com/2021/12/aocs-ugly-delegitimization-of-scotus/”>delegitimize weaken The judiciary. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), argued that states should be able to simply disregard If they disagree with a decision, the Supreme Court. A national schism is much more likely to be caused if you ignore the division of power than any Greene tweet.

None of these means that there is a problem. “national divorce” — really succession, since other states are unlikely to concede to a split — isn’t a reckless thing for someone who took a vow to defend the Constitution to advocate. It is possible to achieve it even if only we took the time to think about it. We are not divided ideologically into large geographical regions or states. Instead, our focus is on urban, suburban, rural areas. Conservatives like to share that map showing virtually the entire country painted in electoral red — and it matters more than Democrats like to admit. We can’t ignore the fact that density also matters. A “national divorce” This would result in smaller minorities and more divisions, but very little change in policy.  (How is the Greenes going shrink the government?) They won’t (Even reform entitlements?

Greene’s Georgia, won by Joe Biden in 2020, now has two left-wing senators. Where will it end up in this split? What about purple states such as Virginia and New Hampshire? Will there be 50 referendums? Will there be a population exchange like the one India/Pakistan did in 1947? If history is any guide, this is the type of situation which leads to economic ruin and political violence.

You already have the freedom of movement in the country and the ability to choose a place that suits you and your politics. We are a place where you can be a progressive vegan, an evangelical conservative farmer, a suburban moderate, or any combination thereof.

Over the last 42 years, federal government has been Divided For 30 of them. The party that was president during the previous three presidencies lost at most one house in just two years. The American public instinctively wants to divide power. The organic state of a divided nation is glorious gridlock — which is why the 10th Amendment exists. It is also true that leftists have difficulty accepting the idea of letting people from red states think, talk, and live in ways that they don’t like. The national cultural and political effort to homogenize the country is ongoing. And when Republicans appropriate the existing local power Democrats have used for decades to implement their own choices — as Ron DeSantis has done in Florida — leftists act as if we’re on the precipice of a dictatorship. They don’t have the power to stop him. Only Florida voters can stop him. Federalism is the reason why it exists. It is the reason why some states succeed and others fail. Federalism is not only more desirable than splitting the country in two but it’s also more practical.

Also, it’s important to remember that political divisions don’t remain static. People can be persuaded. People can be persuaded by events. It is likely that our grandkids, and children, will face a new set of problems and divisions. Will we split up into four families in 50 years’ time?

This is not to say there aren’t serious problems facing our nation. But Big Tech’s constant highlighting of every decisive minute, every rabid voice and every radical position cloud our view of reality. Your followers will be more likely to follow you the more deceitful and partisan your tweets. Social media success is an attractive incentive. Most of it only exacerbates political divides.

You probably live near people who have different religious, cultural and ideological beliefs. Yet, contrary to what you might think, the United States is a country with very little political violence. Our lives are much better today than they were a decade ago, despite all the political mess. Let’s not forget that.