So I'm watching a documentary anout the Cold War on Netflix.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

Why couldn't the United States dissolve like the USSR? Your nominal Democrat has more in common with your nominal Canadian while your nominal MAGA Republican has more in common with your nominal Russian.

[Charging Triceratops]

1. We're heading that way slowly

Entrenched minority rule and political polarization will eventually break apart the US, and it's a good thing.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

2. I never voted for a Republican, never...

But I liked to believe they were committed to liberal democratic values like pluralism, majority rule/minority rights, and the sanctity of the ballot. I no longer believe they are.

[Aristus]

3. I agree. I think the "Balkanization" of the U.S. is going to happen sooner or later.

Like the Roman Empire, we just got too big, too unwieldy, and too diverse for one government to be able to serve properly and efficiently. They broke into two halves, and the Western Empire dissolved shortly thereafter. Let's call them the Red States. The Eastern half, wealthier, better educated, and better-led, lasted another thousand years. We'll call them the Blue States.

That's what I see happening. The Blue States will form several well-organized, well-led, highly-educated sub-states, while the Red States devolve into chaotic nightmares of greed, pettiness, squabbling, endless blood feuds (with easily accessible weapons), and incompetence.

[TxGuitar]

4. Why the hell would you want that?

Have you seen what's happened to the former USSR states? What perfect US utopian state do you live in? Where do you stop? Plenty of red in PA, MI, WI. Will you jettison those counties in whatever utopian state you live in from your state? How does that make you different than a confederate?

[ITAL]

5. Unlike the Civil War

The country isn't so much divided geographically into regions as it is city vs rural. And that makes it very hard to break up unless you're talking city states like ancient Greece or something.

[NorthCountryLib]

6. I live in a very red area in a very blue state

Not sure how you circle that square.
And my neighbors are armed. The people in the cities are not.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

7. It doesn't have to be violent.

[markpkessinger]

9. And what would the people in so-called purple states do?

I look at a state like Pennsylvania (my native state). The electorate there is very closely divided. Although it has thankfully trending bluer in recent years, there are still a LOT of hardcore Trumpers there. If the U.S. dissolved as you suggest, do you suppose those folks would just quietly abandon their property, or take whatever sum the government offered, and move to a red state? I can tell you they would not. And neither would Democrats do that in a red state. I live in NYC, which is considered very blue indeed. But the fact of the matter is there are also plenty of conservatives here, even in NYC.

People have deeper ties to the places they live than mere politics -- the sense of rootedness, of personal and family history, and even of loved ones who may have different political leanings. And they will not willingly give up their jobs, homes, etc. just to live among the like-minded.

Sorry, but this is an asinine idea!

[JHB]

8. Don't be so sure. A small percentage of a large population is still a lot of people.

[EX500rider]

10. Because the USSR was formed from many countries with different languages & peoples?

Conquered by Russia but not assimilated.
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan, none want to be a part of a new Russia.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

11. They have as much in common as I do with a MAGA Republican

I have more in common with a French man or woman who likes Macron than an American who likes Trump.

[EX500rider]

12. Most Americans have a common language & background

A Uzbek & a Latvian not so much.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

13. Blood and soul versus ideals

What do we have in common with MAGA Republicans who lionize Putin, think illegal immigrants are poisoning our blood, and lgtbq people are lesser humans?

[EX500rider]

14. We both love sit coms & barbeques? Muscle cars & some type of sports? etc

[DemocratSinceBirth]

16. I'm watching a basketball game as i type.

As much as I can bond with someone over basketball I couldn't bond with someone who lionizes Putin, thinks illegal immigrants are vermin, and lgtbq people are untemenschen.

[Xolodno]

15. Your list...

...is too small. As far as assimilated, uhm, yeah, may not be entire cultures, but a good portion of many. They don't call Moscow the third Rome for nothing.

[Xolodno]

17. All empires eventually collapse.

And our political system will ensure it. The greed of a few will blind them to the eventual end result. It's happened repeatedly in history all over the world. For example, in Yugoslavia, various ethnic groups were spread out all over the nation. But once the "glue" that was holding them together disappeared, migrations occurred and soon after, civil war. Neighbors who once held BBQ's together, suddenly were shooting at each other. It went from just a friendly difference of opinion to patriotic/religious bull shit they were willing to die over.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

18. Tito held it all together with an iron fist and a modicum of liberalization

[Xolodno]

19. Hence my point.

I didn't specify if that "glue" was good or bad. Just that it was there.

Same thing happened with Cyprus and is now a frozen conflict. Just like Korea, China, etc.

Do I think the USA can become extremely radicalized and collapse into something different? Absolutely.

But what do I know, my wife and I are products of exiles from a number of failed states and/or persecutions.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

20. I was careful to say i don't support disollution.

I just believe our differences with MAGA are irreconcilable. They want to boss us around and accept their version of what it means to be an American