Two Possible Ways for Liberal Society (democracy and equal liberty for all) to be Saved in the U.S.
though one path leaves only a rump
Liberalism, the meta-ideology that brought the Modern world equality and liberty as the basis of governance, is the best approach to governing society yet devised. It at least seeks to take into account the social aspect of our nature as well as its individual aspect. Its other keywords are individualism and democracy.
Yet, it is generally agreed that Liberalism as a means of governance is in trouble. A schism has developed. In the U.S., at least, it is serious enough that it threatens to rend our Liberal society asunder.
Looking at those keywords, it is tempting to locate the schism between equality/democracy on the one side and liberty/individualism on the other. Yet, it is the people who tout most fervently equality and democracy who are defending the right of individuals to express themselves however they might feel themselves to be, especially in matters concerning gender and sexuality.
The schism confronting our Liberal society is not internal to Liberalism. There was a time when the political ideologies of libertarianism, conservatism, and political liberalism existed here in a stable if less than completely easy stasis. At this point in the U.S. the animus of some people towards liberalism has become so strong that they have become indifferent to Liberalism. The people on that side of the divide will still sometimes pay lip service to liberty and individualism, but all they really want is the defeat of liberalism — totally and permanently. If the implosion of Liberal society is required to accomplish that, so be it.
Those fellow citizens of ours are serious. They put defeating liberalism absolutely above all other concerns.
Every group that has sought to take over an existing nation has begun by seeking to make the nation ungovernable. That is the goal of the anti-liberals. That is the reason for this now-constant turmoil in the process of funding the federal government and the general governmental chaos they insistently foment.
There is one group of people in this nation who can save Liberal society. They are anti-liberal but do not desire to put defeating liberalism above Liberalism. They are called ‘moderate Republicans’ by liberals and the ‘mainstream media’. The hardcore anti-liberals call them ‘traitors’ and ‘Rino’s’. Those pro-Liberal anti-liberals are constantly attempting to ‘use’ the radical anti-liberals to defeat liberalism without destroying Liberalism. Instead, they are the ones being used.
One way that Liberal society can be saved is for those pro-Liberal anti-liberals to abandon that political strategy. At this point, if they continue their dalliance with radical anti-liberals they will become traitors to Liberalism.
People in that camp who are in government or seeking elected office must be willing to compromise with liberals, openly and forthrightly, for the sake of our Liberal society. There can be no such thing as democracy without compromise; governance without compromise can only exist in totalitarianism. Without democracy there can be no equal liberty for all. Without equal liberty for all individualism is simply undefined, like the idea of dividing any number by zero. So political compromise is the price of all of the immaterial blessings of Liberal society.
Failing that turn by those key citizens, only one option remains. It does not require dissolving the Union, but it would require abandoning much of the federal structure. The Federal government would be limited to little more than the common defense. It is doubtful that a zone of unrestricted travel encompassing the ‘New U.S.’ would be allowed by all states, though free trade would presumably still exist. Even having a common currency might come into question. All states would become materially poorer.
Individual states would be free to be as Liberal or as authoritarian as they might be. Even ‘cleansing’ — forced emigration (if not worse) — would doubtlessly ensue in some states. Still, in some states Liberal society would blessedly survive.
The only alternative to preserving Liberal society is the total defeat of Liberalism by the anti-liberals among us.