Last year, on a whim, I googled the words "Divide the country." Google only gave me reasons for not dividing the country, most of them came from magazines like Time and Newsweek, who want no division. Many of America's citizens may want division; but it does not appear that the Google research-machine wants it."Think of the logistical problems it would cause," the magazine articles tell the reader.
Just a few days ago, I googled the topic again using different key-words, "Divide the United States into two countries." This time around, I found a lot of relevant material, indicating that Google may have had a change of heart. The first three articles provide polling data, two from the American Pew Research Center and one from the German data-collector Statista. The British think-tank Chatham House and the American think-tank The Big Think also contribute articles.
I list the Pew Research Center article first because its article expresses as much emotion as one can expect from professional bean-counters, starting with the title, "America is exceptional in the nature of its political divide", published 13 November 2020. Pew Research worded the title awkwardly, in my opinion, but a bean-counter hates to express himself bluntly. The text of the article nevertheless hits the nail on the head:
The studies we've conducted at Pew Reserrch Center over the past few years illustrate the
increasinly stark disagreement between Democrats and Republicans on the economy, racial
justice, climate change, law enforcement, interenational engagement, and a long list of other
issues. . . . A month before the election, roughly eight-in-ten registered voters in both camps
said their differences with the other side were about core American values. (italics mine)
Pew Research made its point even more bluntly in another article "Americans' Dismal Views of the Nation's Politics", published 19 September 2023. Here are a few of its conclusions:
Just 4% of U.S. Adults say the political system is working . . . very well. Another 23%
say it is working somewhat well.
Positive views of many governmental and political institutions are at historic lows.
Just 16% of the public say they trust the federal government always or most of the time.
A growing share of the public dislikes both political parties. Nearly . . . three-in-ten
(28%) express unfavorable views of both parties.
Candidate choices are underwhelming. As the presidential campaign heats up, 63% of
Americans say they are dissatisfied with the candidates who have emerged so far.
Majorities back age and term limits and eleimiating the Electoral College. Reflecting
the public's frustration with the federal government and political leaders, large shares of
Americans support various changes to the political system.
Farther into the article Pew Research comments on "The impact of polarization".
Ordinary Americans are more polarized than in the past. . . . And many Americans hold
deeply negative views of those on the "other side" of politics.
More than eight-in-ten Americans (86%) say . . . "Republicans and Democrats are more
focused on fighting each other than on solving problems."
I don't hold political parties, their leaders, nor their philosophies responsible for the division in our society. I don't hold the electoral system, nor the individual congressmen and women, governors of the 50 states, their educations, nor the absence of term-limits. You accept corruption as a part of any political system. Most governments have the means of dealing with incompetence, but it continues to plague governments everywhere.
You also have to accept that in an electoral system, you do not elect leaders, only representatives of the people—I repeat, not leaders but office-holders. In a nation like ours, we shy away from the idea of electing a Leader-type, considering all the negative connotations it has accrued. The people can doubt their own convictions and drag their feet about acting. We count on our representatives to do that.
So to move forward, we have to go back to Pew Research's conclusions from its 2020 article, that much of the dispute concerns "core American values" and go from there; and the only way we can move on that issue is to divide the country. You only have to look at the Electoral College map at the top of the article to see how consistent the voting pattern is.
The Democrat value-system is no less American than the Republican one, but they want to move the country in opposite directions. So we have become like a nation that does not know where to go from here, and people are fed up with the lack of action in the Congress, who after all only want to do what the voter wants.
So let us cut the cord. Let the Democrats govern as they want. Let the Republicans do as they want. Otherwise, we will continue to frustrate ourselves with a lack of consistent action.