Republican Climate of Divisiveness, Part One. It’s Easy to Secede

I wrote previously about how Republicans have created a climate of hostility and, according to some Republicans, the hostility is great enough to warrant a civil war. We can only hope that these Republicans remain a minority within their Party.

In 1861, Confederate hostility was strong enough that it led to secession. Could this happen again?

Despite some of the claims made by people such as Judge Head and Governor Perry, it is unlikely that states like Texas will actually try to secede. It is unlikely because the states are economically interconnected to an extent that would be considered unbelievable in 1861. But it remains possible, at least in the long run.

But it would be surprisingly easy for Texas to secede from the Union. First, the agreement by which Texas entered the Union contains a clause that permits them to secede. No other state has such a clause.

Second, while, like any state, Texas is tightly interconnected with the national economy, they do have their own largely separate power grid, and an oil industry that would continue to provide an income to them. And they have lots of seaports. Aircraft and big oil ships could come and go without crossing over any other states. Right now, Texas demands to receive oil from the Keystone Pipeline that would be built at federal expense and cross several other states; the non-Texas states would demand payment for that oil if Texas seceded. And Texas is demanding free access to Oklahoma water, citing the commerce clause of the Constitution. If they were not a state, they could not receive this water, at least without paying dearly for it. Nevertheless, it would be a lot easier for Texas to secede than, say, Oklahoma.

How would they be able to secede? To get the process started, all they would have to do is to declare themselves to be an independent far-right conservative nation. The rest would follow from this. There would be a mass exodus of moderates and liberals (there are apparently quite a few in Austin), and they would have to all sell their land at once. Land prices would fall, allowing the conservatives to buy up a lot of liberal land cheaply. This would make the conservatives even richer than they are now. With their new influx of money, they could buy lots of arms and equipment on the open free market. They would have a military system rather quickly. Within a decade or so there would be an independent, fortified Republic of Texas.

Texas would be unlikely to secede if the federal government is conservative. If the federal government is run by Democrats, they would be unlikely to declare war on Texas the way the USA declared war on the CSA in 1861. Texas would be unlikely to suffer the devastation that the South experienced in 1865. There would be military engagements, probably along the border as both countries, USA and ROT, tried to control border crossings.

Conservative Texans consider themselves Americans, but it might be surprisingly easy for them to change this view of themselves. If they become convinced that “American” is a term that includes those whom they brand as “liberals,” they might next become convinced that this inclusive term is intolerable.

Many or most Republicans enjoy being divisive. For them, at least in Texas, secession might be an obtainable goal. Landlocked conservative states such as Oklahoma or Arkansas would find it more difficult—unless, of course, they joined with Texas.

The main thing is that many Republicans no longer consider themselves fellow citizens with those whom they brand as liberals. This is the single most important factor that could lead to secession and, perhaps, to a civil war as well. It is unlikely but possible.

Republican Climate of Hostility, Part 1. A New Civil War?

In Texas, a Lubbock County judge, Tom Head, said that, if Obama is re-elected, he is “going to try to hand over the sovereignty of the United States to the U.N. Okay, what’s going to happen when that happens? I’m thinking worst case scenario here. Civil unrest, civil disobedience, civil war maybe. We’re not just talking a few riots here and demonstrations. We’re talking Lexington-Concord take up arms and get rid of the guy…[Obama’s] “going to send in U.N. troops, with the little blue beanies. I don’t want them in Lubbock County, so I’m going to stand in front of their armored personnel carrier and say ‘You’re not coming in here.’ And the sheriff, I’ve already asked him, I said ‘You gonna back me?’ he said, ‘Yeah, I’ll back you.’”

There. That’s the quote. You’ve all heard it. I took the quote right from the Texas Tribune.

It is not unusual for people to be upset when a candidate from the other party wins the presidency. Republicans were upset when Bill Clinton won, twice. Democrats were upset when George W. Bush won, twice. But what is different this time is that some Republicans—unfortunately, the ones who seem to have the most influence in the party, the right-wing activists, still known as Tea Partiers—actually hate Barack Obama. Congressman Joe Wilson (R-SC) yelled out “You lie!” during one of Obama’s State of the Union messages. And now we have a Republican leader speculating that civil war may be necessary. What we have here is the Republican Party ready to go to war, perhaps not just rhetorically, against the Democrats. I do not know why Republicans merely disliked Clinton (who remains more left-leaning than Obama) yet they openly hate Obama. The only thing I can think of is that Obama is black. Or maybe it is because the hate-frothing right wing of the Republican Party, which has always been there, has now gotten a controlling interest in their party.

I do not think this is merely a random nut case who can be forgotten. I fear that the civil war that some Republicans would like to see might just actually happen, even if only on a local scale. First, the governor of Texas, Rick Perry, has already pointed out that when Texas joined the Union, it retained the right to secede. Rick Perry represents the Texas Republican viewpoint; he is no isolated extremist. Perry’s remark sounded like civil war talk. Judge Head’s remarks sound even more like civil war talk. And remember that these Republican extremists have guns. Lots and lots of them.

Maybe the Republicans are merely saying hateful things that they do not actually plan to do. Let us hope that it is merely hot air. But it is, at the very least, an attempt to intensify the climate of hostility. And it is not impossible that some of them may try to start a new Civil War. The poisoned political discourse in America in 2012 is not all that different from the poisoned discourse of, say, 1855.

Remember that John Sununu said recently that President Obama should learn how to be an American. He later downplayed his remarks, but only after he discovered that some of his fellow Republicans disapproved. Sununu was defining “American” to be the same as “Republican.” The Constitution defines who is an American and who is not. But, apparently according to Sununu, Republican Party membership defines American citizenship. This, too, is civil war talk. So it is not just Judge Head. It is Rick Perry and John Sununu.

The Republicans are creating a sea of hostility in which swim millions of angry people with itchy trigger fingers and lots of triggers.

If you are a Republican and embarrassed of Judge Head, get on the phone or email to your party and tell them to quit fostering a climate of hostility.