Culture Wars Era - is it moving into its final phase?

[pbrower2a]

(01-16-2017, 05:55 PM)sbarrera Wrote:

(01-16-2017, 05:37 PM)pbrower2a Wrote: We are not approaching the consolidation of a "One Nation, One Purpose, One Leader" America... America is severely rifted and the only way in which Donald Trump and his political flunkies can get the right0wing Christian and Corporate America is if they can completely shut down the opposition as in a totalitarian state that compels compliant obedience on pain of death.  

Donald Trump already has a stormy relationship with the Armed Services, the CIA, most of the media, and academia. He may be so unpopular at some point that he would be vulnerable to a coup.

I remember having this same type of discussion on the old forum back when Bush was President and we were trying to figure out if 9-11 had catalyzed the Crisis Era. We were looking for that 'One America' even back then. But it seems we just can't get past the partisan rift.

Now I'd say we are definitely in Crisis mode. So it could be there will be a turning point around whether Trump can institute a totalitarian regime or we will descend into utter chaos.

We have gone from having a 'suppressed crisis' of political gridlock to a time in which one political side proclaims "We won, and you're done!".  But can a group  short of being a majority suppress a minority of similar side?

Probably not. We have no tradition of the winners suppressing the other side. We have a heritage of free elections, freedom of conscience, and of people protesting what they consider raw deals. Should there be real repression, then things will get incredibly ugly and unstable.

I have long thought America invulnerable to coups because of the decentralization of political power, economic power, and the media. A successful coup would require the military to take over, or at least get acquiescence , in several big cities at once. Washington, New York, and Los Angeles are obvious enough.