I wrote a column in 2011, as the presidential politics of the upcoming year were starting to unfold, with the headline “Why 2012 looks a lot like 1860.”
The deep fracturing of the American electorate — remember the Tea Party? — leading up to the 2012 presidential election was starting to look like what happened in the presidential election in 1860, which occurred amid another massive splintering of the American electorate.
The issue of slavery in the 1850s — whether or the extent to which it should or could be tolerated in America — tore apart the fabric of common values in the nation, and the result was collapse.
There were presidential candidates in 1860 running on four different party tickets — the newly formed Republican Party, the Constitutional Union Party, and Northern and Southern parts of a split Democratic Party.
Abraham Lincoln, the Republican candidate, emerged victorious with just 39.82% of the popular vote. Immediately upon the Lincoln’s declared victory, seven Southern states seceded from the Union.
Soon there would be a bloody civil war.
A vibrant, free and democratic nation thrives with differences of opinion. But there is a difference between differences of opinion on specific issues of policy and fracturing of discourse because of absence of common ground of values and principles.
For a nation to function, there must be some common denominator of shared values and principles.
This common denominator of shared values and principles is dangerously eroding today, and animosities are sharpening and deepening.
Am I predicting another civil war? God forbid.
But the depth of animosities now is looking less like the healthy discourse of a free country and looking more like unraveling of our social fabric. It’s dangerous, and we should be aware of what is going on.
A new survey released by Pew Research Center bears out this trend, showing animosities between those identifying with the two parties getting increasingly sharp and increasing numbers of Americans, particularly younger Americans, not happy with either party.
Per the Pew report, in 1994, 21% of Republicans had a “very unfavorable” view of the Democratic Party. Today it is 62%. In 1994, 17% of Democrats had a “very unfavorable” view of the Republican Party. Today it is 54%.
Seventy-two percent of Republicans now, compared to 45% in 2016, say Democrats are more dishonest than other Americans. Sixty-three percent of Democrats, compared to 42% in 2016, say Republicans are more dishonest than other Americans.
According to the survey, in 2022, 27% of Americans now have unfavorable opinions of both parties compared to 6% in 1994 who held unfavorable views of both parties.
This is all consistent with a new survey from Gallup showing that more than half, 52%, of young Americans born between 1981 and 1996 identify as independents.
Forty-four percent of those born between 1960 and 1980, 33% of those born between 1946 and 1964, and 26% of those born between 1928 and 1945 identify as independents.
Just as the presence of slavery challenged the core values and beliefs on which the nation was founded, so today issues such as abortion, sexual identity, and the nature and existence of marriage and family are dividing the common ground on which we stand.
Related to this is the core question of government and its role in the lives of private Americans.
When our divisions become so deep that civil discourse can no longer mend what has unraveled, we need to tread carefully.
Another recent Gallup poll shows 53% of Americans saying they worry “a great deal” about crime and violence.
How can a nation remain intact when large parts of the population have absolutely nothing in common with each other regarding how they see the world?
Limited government and individual freedom are the classic American answers. Unfortunately, we seem to be going in the opposite direction.
Star Parker is president of the Center for Urban Renewal and Education and host of the weekly television show “Cure America with Star Parker.” To find out more about Star Parker and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.
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There are no Americans but two parties . We all need to learn about the constitution and what it is . It is the driving force of what makes America great and how to live as one Nation under God and not the fractures which are being enabled by our leader in command and he is not presidential material , ONE BIT .
It is a good possibility, especially if the November elections are full of fraud again.
This country is not divided it is the liberal elites that own the media that feed the narrative
And the FOOLS swallow it all in! 80 plus million (Joe Biden voters) of them!
Hidenbiden and his corrupt,minions are about to start this civil war, if it isn’t already here.If that doesn’t destroy this country, his idiotic policies probably will for sure.If things don’t change soon this banana republic of hidenbidens, will be history and destruction, like what happened with the riots.
Civil war or European or china war? Which ever comes they all come.
You cannot vote your way out of rampant corruption and considering the widespread election fraud being seen, nationwide, war is the only solution!
Lock and load, we fought the Nazi’s on three continents now we get to fight them on this one…Lock and Load
The communists are almost totally in control, so it’s no longer a “Civil War”. This will be a “War of Liberation”. Right now, we have a more immediate problem:
MIDTERM ELECTIONS? …WHAT ELECTIONS?!
The Established Regime knows that it will lose the upcoming elections. They could try to rig them again, but too many people are watching now. Wouldn’t it be better if we just didn’t have the elections? That’s what all Dictatorships have done from Hitler’s Germany to Castro’s Cuba and beyond…
THEY ARE GOING TO TRY TO POSTPONE (i.e., CANCEL) THE MIDTERM ELECTIONS using some incident (probably manufactured), or the general threat of Right-Wing violence as an excuse!
Have you heard of a ‘Declaration of Martial Law’ or a ‘Presidential Invocation of the Insurrection Act’?
Do you think 87,000 extra armed “IRS agents” are being recruited by accident…?
Do you think the TONS of ammo the Established Regime has recently purchased is just a coincidence…?
…Something to think about. And act upon.
They will be fighting MILITARY PERSONNEL AND RETIRED MILITARY PERSONNEL…Not worried one bit about armed accountants….they will lay their weapon down and flee
Just for perspective…….. one month 2019 more firearms were purchased by US Civilians than the combined forces of the US Marines & Army ! 2019>2020 10times more ammunition than used in all of WW-2 and 4 times as many small arms sold than manufactured for 6 years 1939>1945 for a glabal war! WW-2
I would say anyone who decides to join Bidens NKVD units is?????????? a true believer in their agenda? Think along this logic …. Biden picks a former army general who had a sex change to be Sec. of the NAVY???? Like Hitler, Stalin, Mau, they are posioning Politicaly Reliable people ( YES No Questions asked type) Not people who are qualified, who are compitent, but people who are True believers in their agenda! RIGHT?????? That said, History has shown that don’t work very well, when the shit hits the fan!
The Democrats will try and start one but they will not be around for the ending. 60% of Democrats said that if the US were ever invaded they would “FLEE”….After Antifa and BLM get what they have coming the Democrats will be fleeing……All the way back to Germany
What is going to divide the country is if we are pushed to adopt the UN gun control law and rules that China and others are insisting that we do. Biden is supporting adopting this law and I am afraid if it is adopted it will cause the civil war that has beeen hinted at. This law is supposed to override the U.S. Constitution without the voters having any input, that is very bad
People who support illegal immigration are the same sorts of people who
supported slavery. They want a permanent underclass of cheap labor without
any legal rights of grievance they can exploit. With the threat of deportation
these people are virtual slaves.
Weaponising IRS, FBI. DHS, NSA, all to opress political oposition as Obama started around this time frame mentioned in the artical ! NOW Biden is expanding that openly, provacitivley! Thumbing thier Noses right in our face! YEP. I would say we are headed to a very short war!
One side owns 97>99% of all civilian firearms,& around 14 Trillion Rounds of ammunition ! the other side can’t decide what bathroom to use, owns 97.99% of all the dildos, and sex toys, can’t even agree on Pronouns, this whould be a short war if at all!
The liberals seem to control most of the media as well as Washington, however, We the People recognize that and are opposed to the one sided bias. We will retaliate initially through our election system. If that doesn’t work just remember the anti-gun crowd are all liberals, we love our weapons!!
BEWARE TRUMP! (MY PRESIDENT). THOSE CROOKED, RUTHLESS, CONNIVING, DAMN DEMS WILL TRY TO KEEP THEIR FOOTHOLD OF POWER OVER US CITIZENS !!!!! (DON’T HESITATE TO ‘THROW THE BOOK AT THEM’) (PRISON TIME) !!!!!…..WATCH OUT FOR THOSE CROOKS! FIGHT FOR OUR FREEDOM AND SECURE OUR COUNTRY. U.S.A NEEDS AN EXPERIENCED CEO. !!!!!!!! (AUDIT THEM!!!
I THINK THE DEMS ARE USING COVID TO DEPOPULATE OUR U.S.A. FOR MORE CONTROL!!
the question is ‘WHEN’ because there will be civil war coming…WE THE PEOPLE are fed up (at least I am) with our corrupt gov’t
The FAKE NEWS is killing my country! FU Biden is running a class warfare and it has to stop.
Thanks to a complicite Press, I ‘d agree with this assessment! Its been going on slowly for decades but Obama really lit things up and encouraged division! Straight out of the Marxist Play Book!
For my thesis, I consulted a lot of information, read your article made me feel a lot, benefited me a lot from it, thank you for your help. Thanks!