by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner
If America either has a civil war or becomes an autocracy, it will happen because of one element of its body politic — the Traditionalists. These are typically white Christians who, in the past, would not see the idea of America being a democracy as a partisan issue.
While they have always been the least progressive of the American body politic, they at least saw the United States as a democracy and would reluctantly, long after everyone has had, embrace change.
My conversations with my Traditionalist family, it is clear that they no longer see the United States as a democracy, in fact, they see us a “constitutional republic” for the specific purposes of protecting their collective power. The Constitution is no longer a venue for the will of the people, it is a firebreak against the encroachment of POC, secularists and feminists.
And that, my dear reader, is why the United States will fall. Because of an extensive permission structure and negative polarization the only “red line” that Traditionalists have is personal. In other words, not until they, specifically, have a personal problem with the new autocratic regime will they sit up and take notice. That will be the moment when they stop being Good Germans and become sudden believers in democracy again.
This is of great concern to ME, because *I* am that personal red line because I fucking refuse to fucking shut up. So, ultimately, when I get drunk at a bar in 2027 and rant about how I think President Pompeo may be skinny now, but he’s a fat fuck and always will be a fat fuck…and ICE swoops in and does God only what to me….THEN my Traditionalists family members will think about something other than how scary brown people or too-sensitive young people are fucking things up for them.
And, so, we have three options between now and January 2025 — autocracy, civil war or military junta. Or, put another way, we’re totally fucked. Nothing and no one will save us. We have to save ourselves. The system is not and will not working.
If you’re someone like the fine people behind the “Mueller, She Wrote” Twitter account and you STILL think somehow, or someway your latest Twitter “boom” will save us — you are a fool. You are a willful fucking fool.
We have some time. Figure out what you believe in and what you’re willing to suffer for in the real world. I don’t write for VOX, I don’t have a received vocal fry for my Tik-Tok, but I do know the truth — I believe in American democracy. That’s my true north. That’s what I’m willing to risk my life and scared honor for.
