CAN AMERICA SURVIVE WITH TRUMP OR CLINTON?

[HairOfTheDog]

If the country existed in a vacuum, I'd be more,inclined to believe and agree, HotD.

But we don't we exist in a world where we are essentially the only real superpower, and we have steadily amassed quiet adversaries across the globe through our meddling and arrogance. Trump alone might not have a lot of room to wreak havoc. But Trump with millions of rabid followers domestically, and other governments just waiting for a stumble they can capitalize on, much like Russia is doing now... it would be naive to think we can't be brought down. And given then our geographic divide is literally right up the middle of the continent, a civil upheaval might be more destructive and catastrophic to our future than even the first one was.

I am speaking as I always do from the philosophical view of a student of history. We have seen this story played out many times. And the end game rarely deviates. All empires fall. Including ours.It isn't if, but when, and it isn't how but who.

I’ve been thinking about what you posted, Donovan. And, I agree that I might well be one of those generally reasonable people who’s minimizing the risk.

There’s no doubt that bad history can repeat itself. That’s probably especially true when the history is far enough in the rear-view mirror that most people have forgotten about it, or they remember but complacently assume, “something like that that could never happen again.” I'm guilty of the latter when I tell myself, “well, we survived the Cheney/Rumsfeld administration under the Bush label, so….”

But, I hate the death and destruction that our country inflicted on people outside our borders and within our own military forces during that time -- under false pretenses, and at the hands of someone I consider another for-profit torture-loving authoritarian (Cheney). Something like our invasion of Iraq could certainly happen again under a Trump presidency (or a Clinton presidency, in my opinion). I’m more concerned about that than I am about the U.S. being invaded or physically taken over by a foreign entity, primarily because the size of the U.S.’s military and ‘defense’ investment is unparalleled.

The risk that concerns me the most though is something to which you’ve alluded many times: Americans warring with each other here at home. This election cycle opened my eyes in terms of just how many Americans are extremely disgruntled and convinced that (1) all politicians except the ones they support are the enemy of the state and of the people, (2) our fair but imperfect system of government sucks ass and needs to be taken down, (3) “the others” among them are taking over as the country’s demographics continue to shift.

I hope whoever the American people elects to lead our country can help alleviate that wide-scale angst and anger, but I’m not confident this is just a passing or short-term phase (several European countries seem to be experiencing the same phenomena as well). Still, I'm confident that America will survive the next four years regardless of who's elected President, though I agree with you completely that what that survival looks like could be vastly different depending on who's sitting in the Oval Office. That's why I voted, and voted for Clinton.