Do you fear the U.S. will fall within the next decade

[USAFRetired_Liberal]

Or is it just hyperbole? Experts assumed it would be an external threat like communism, Russia, China, Islamic terrorism, etc that would bring us down….but it seems like this internal threat is very real and what’s going to bring down the U.S….:I just don’t see how we can survive much longer….these people were willing to throw out our votes, they stormed the Capitol, are willing to die by Covid just to own the Libs….seriously, if we couldn’t come together due to a pandemic what can we come together on? these people have been conditioned to hate Democrats for 40 years through Rush Limbaugh and his clones, then drudge and now his clones, Fox News and it’s clones, and with the onslaught of social media it has gotten worse….they don’t see us as countrymen, they see us as the enemy…it’s gotten to the point where the feeling is mutual regarding how I feel about them…I can’t stand them and look at them with disdain when I am out in public among them…polarization and divineness has gotten bad here to the point where both sides seem to want a split…

[SKKY]

1. It won't fall from a military power standpoint...

...but from a liberal democracy standpoint? Absolutely. And it terrifies me.

[USAFRetired_Liberal]

4. And military powers can only last for so long

If you don’t have the support of other countries and a good portion of your citizens. That’s how the Soviet Union fell, and other empires.

[ret5hd]

2. Yes, and totally from within. An implosion, not an explosion...a collapse, not a demolition...

a suicide, not a murder.

[lagomorph777]

11. A murder-suicide.

Putin has used his platforms (Fux, Falsebook, Twit, etc) to amplify divisions that already existed. He paid (or extorted) his minions in the Reptilian Party to assist.

Of course, his efforts would have failed if we didn't already have divisions to exploit. And they would have failed if 40% of our citizens weren't assholes.

[Percy]

43. I completely agree with you.

We were already vulnerable before those on the outside (and inside) decided they could exploit those vulnerabilities to their advantage. Now, how America became so vulnerable is another topic and a very important one. In my opinion, our leadership failed to protect our government and our way of life post-Regan when things really started changing.

There were many who were warning us all along but weren't taken seriously by the status quo. The signs have been there for some time now - most of us on this board know it.

[SharonAnn]

56. Yes,

[WhiskeyGrinder]

3. What do you mean, fall?

We've been falling since Day One.

[Runningdawg]

5. I think it will take longer than a decade to complete but the fall has began.

Interesting times for sure.

[brush]

6. It all depends on what happens in the '22 mid-terms and the '24 presidential race.

If the republicans take either the Senate or the House in '22 we'll be on a very slippery slope to fascism, plain and simple as nothing more in terms of legislation will happen that will help pull ordinary Americans from living paycheck-to-paycheck and hoping no one gets sick or has a serious accident in the famiiy, or God forbid, lose their job.

[Kingofalldems]

7. No. That's what MAGATs want us to think.

[Klaralven]

8. The fall began in the '70s with the oil shocks and energy crises

Relative to the rest of the world, we've been declining ever since.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

9. If the Rethugz somehow return to power, abso-fuckin-lutely!!

[fescuerescue]

10. No. Not really. It's just hyperbole imo

There is always a boogey man.

When in the last 60 years were we NOT facing some existential threat?

Men in Black said it best:

Kay: "There's always an Arquillian Battle Cruiser, or a Corillian Death Ray, or an intergalactic plague that is about to wipe out all life on this miserable little planet, and the only way these people can get on with their happy lives is that they DO NOT KNOW ABOUT IT!"

[PortTack]

17. Agree! We lived thru the civil war and other very difficult times

Me...I will never ever give in, say we are screwed, we are f..ked. That is such a defeatist attitude...no thank you

Please remember...there are way more of us than them

[Miguelito Loveless]

23. Never have some many internal

pillars supporting the country been demolished simultaneously. Half the Senate, half the House, the majority of the SCOTUS and the federal judiciary, a substantial chunk of federal/state/local law enforcement, powerful/rich corporations, influential media conglomerates and about a third of the nation are in open rebellion against democracy and would see a tyrant restored to power.

[dhol82]

12. Yes. I see the writing on the wall.

[Xoan]

13. Yes.

[USALiberal]

14. Not at all! Be realistic! Nt

[Miguelito Loveless]

19. Given how close we came to a coup

in January, I think the question is quite realistic.

[USALiberal]

21. Close? One building! Nt

[Miguelito Loveless]

24. The one building being

The House and the Senate, the SCOTUS and the White House already being in the hands of the enemy.

Keep whistling past the graveyard.

[USALiberal]

30. So dramatic. So that one day could overthrow the whole government??

[Miguelito Loveless]

38. Yes. They almost stopped the certification of the vote

The plan was then to go to Alito and get the certification "stayed" until "irregularities" could be "investigated". The whole point being that all they wanted to do was declare the election defective and throw it to Congress where the Republicans would have legally re-elected Trump. Then there was the Eastman memo that laid out how to overthrow they government "legally" with Pence's help.

These are not speculations from the fever swamp of Facebook, they are documented in LBN hear and elsewhere.

[LanternWaste]

52. You seem upset by all this.

I hope you're ok.

I've found that decaf is almost as good as the real thing, and reduces blood pressure.

[Patton French]

15. I think you need to define "fall" (n/t)

[USAFRetired_Liberal]

26. Good point

I meant split up, but can see how some interpreted the word.

[Marius25]

16. Yes. I think the US will likely be Autocratic within the next few years.

Unless we figure out a way to stop Republican wins in 2022 and 2024, the US will probably look like a wealthy version of Russia soon.

[Miguelito Loveless]

18. If we fail to protect voting

and fail to expand the SCOTUS, or fail to punish insurrection, the Republic will fall.

These three things MUST happen.

[sarisataka]

20. No.

[Mr.Bill]

22. No, not by a long shot.

The reason is too many rich and powerful know that their wealth and power relies on keeping things the way they are.

[Johnny2X2X]

25. I think our Democracy will fall

I think we came a lot closer than people would like to think earlier this year. And there's this idea that is it does fall that the country will revolt and demand things get back on track. If Trump would have succeeded is stealing the election like he planned, the media would have fallen in line in a few months and the public soon after mostly. There would be both siderism. If they do steal it in 2024, the media will just say both siderism and compare the people protesting to the insurrectionists of 2020/21.

[USAFRetired_Liberal]

27. Yep

That is something I fear…they will actually cheat and when we point out their cheating the media will say both sides….Similar to how they treat Stacey Abrams and her legit protest in what happened in Georgia in 2018.

[Jim__]

28. I fear that it could. The United States are definitely not united.

I don't know if we can overcome the political polarization within the country.

[Ohio Joe]

29. No...

And I don't see it as hyperbole, I see it as fear mongering.

[Bucky]

31. We've been hearing this since the '80s. Boy who cried wolfism

Like climate crisis, the rhetoric on our side is given to hyperbole. Just like we are not destroying the planet, the country isn't close to the brink of collapse. However, mini US policies do jeopardize our long-term effectiveness in global hotspots. There is still a huge need for American leadership in the world, both in our ongoing human rights pressures we exert toward anocracies around the world and in the resistance to violent groups to threaten our lives.

The state department and other US agencies do a great deal of peace building around the world. If the US slips out of that role, you'll see a general degrading of the remarkable run of peace the US has facilitated in the world .

[FSogol]

33. No, but ask me after the Virginia 2021 Election. n/t

[jalan48]

34. I don't think it will fall in the sense of an overt overthrow of the government. The outward

appearance of the government will be the same, there will still be a Congress and SCOTUS appearing to function as normal. However, I believe the SCOTUS will expand the power of the President making him or her a virtual dictator.

[roamer65]

35. I think we WILL break up and take down the dollar with it within 10 years.

Major superpower collapse and a reserve currency crisis to boot.

The North American map ID going to change.

Russia and China eventually will be at conflict when millions of Chinese climate refugees start heading toward Siberia. Climate change will drive that conflict.

[DFW]

60. We stay together because too many powerful people have too many dollars

Russia is practically a dollar-based economy. When I was there, rubles were only used for taxi rides and small transactions. Even at the Moscow flea market, dollars only, Пожалуйста. Some countries have ditched their own currency entirely, and use only dollars now.

[Bettie]

36. Not if we all get out and vote like our lives depend on it

We have to get out the vote. It is vital.

In 2020, at least here, our usual registration and GOTV efforts were hampered by being safe in a pandemic.

The other side did not have that as an issue.

The thing that might go in our favor is that the SCOTUS has decided to take the first step toward turning our society into a theocracy, right before the 2022 midterms. That might help a lot.

[uponit7771]

48. We can't out organize republican access denial and nullification laws. There's no brute forcing or..

... GOTV laws that make it impossible or reverse votes.

We need voter reform now and quick fast

Only 64% of democrats think voter suppression is a problem even less for denial and nullification

[Bettie]

53. I am hopeful that if they enrage women and

GLBT+ that it will increase turnout enough.

Oh, and that we will get voting rights passed. Somehow.

[uponit7771]

54. Vote access denial and nullification can't be overcome by turnout. That's not how laws work ...

... and that's danger we're in right now; people think GOTV will win the next election even if denial and nullification laws are in force.

GOTV have never in any time in any country in any context ever beat laws that are meant to hold one party in power if said party can make laws that make it impossible to vote or when people do vote for the opposing party nullify them.

That's ... EXACTLY ... what's on the books right now in nearly 40 states.

TX Lt Gov said live on TV that their voter denial worked to keep Texas for Putin's Whore ... we need to Believe him.

They only had one drop box for 16 million people near sugar land Texas but that same one drop box was available for north west text with 16 people in that county for instance.

He also said they withheld mail ballots in 2020

Democrats need more than 64% of democrats to believe that anti democracy measures are a threat to America

[Bettie]

57. I know, I do

I was just having a moment of optimism.

They are few and far between these days.

[uponit7771]

59. Sooo true 👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿

[VGNonly]

37. The utter collapse

of environment will come first. Maybe I'm wrong....

[uponit7771]

47. Functionally don't have a democracy without voter rights, so in the next 2 years we'll see voter ...

... nullification, denial and suppression then we no longer have democracy.

That'll be it

[marie999]

62. I believe you are correct.

By 2100 or even sooner the only federal governments will be dictatorships. Those that are not federal dictatorships will be regional dictatorships or militia-run governments.

[Crunchy Frog]

39. I believe we're going to become a failed state. I'd like to see some part of the country salvaged

through breaking off to form independent republic(s), but that idea seems pretty anathema on this site.

I do regard much of the country as enemy territory at this point.

[slater71]

40. Yes it is possible that we could fall.

There very well could be a war. I think that it will depend upon what the republicans do in the election of 2022. If for example, in Georgia., when the votes are counted in Fulton county and they all go for the republican, I think the people will be in the streets. They will know that the republicans flipped a democratic winner over to a Republican win in a county that has overwhelmingly voted democratic in the past. It will be then up to the republicans if they decide to come out and oppose the democrats that are tearing down the city of Atlanta. Will the militias show up will they try and shoot people? We won`t know that until it happens. Will the military be called out to respond to this? We also don`t know if the Democrats will respond but I do feel that they will not let this stand if the republicans do this. I don`t know what will happen in 2024 but you can bet that there is one thing for sure. And that is if they get away with flipping elections in 2022, they will sure as hell do it in 2024. They want total and complete dictator control forever with the republicans in charge. We will never win another election if they pull this election fraud off. And if it does digress to war in the streets, it will mean people will go hunting for known republicans and they will be hunting democrats. I am sure that the MAGA people won`t be running around with their red hats on. The enemy will not be known to each other so it would come down to people killing their neighbors because they know they are a republican or democrat. I would hope it would not get to that. But if it comes to this war or Trump being the dictator for life, I chose to not live like that.

[RFCalifornia]

41. You mean break up? That's more of a possibility

When I saw the USSR fall I wondered to myself "when will the next shoe drop?"

Empires always collapse, it's just not a sustainable model

So I wouldn't be surprised if we broke up into a few different countries

[uponit7771]

46. Wont break up, not like Russia were people given the choice chose the west or not to be with USSR

[sinkingfeeling]

42. I think it's in a death spiral. I hope not to be here when it really collapses.

[Vinca]

44. I think it's a very real possibility. Unless voting rights are protected, chances are the GQP will

take the House and Senate next year and will turn Biden into the worst thing to have happened to this country ever. The masses will lift their noses out of their phones just long enough to nod their heads in agreement. That will usher in the Slobfather for a series return and that's the ball game. SF will be followed by SF Jr., then Princess, then whichever of the chosen is deemed to be nastiest and dumbest. During the next reign of Slobfather, the policy will amount to one word: revenge.

[uponit7771]

45. ***YES!!!*** We'll no longer have a functional democracy if voter rights aren't passed

[Paladin]

49. Yes. The Bad Guys are winning. (nt)

[haele]

50. Decay, not fall.

There are enough blue states to keep some form of government going, as the majority of federal agencies are spread all throughout the country. Any experiment of secession rapidly falls apart once they try it -it would be far worse than BREXIT for them.
Most business don't really want it. A few small minded globalists, Putin's Russia, and some end-timers want the world to burn, but most people don't want this sort of fall of an empire - even China would prefer the US still be somewhat of a global player, just not as strong as we were in the late twentieth century.

But I can see a decay, as the red state idiots dig their heels in and perform a slow sabotage from within.

Haele

[Raine]

51. Falter but not fall. nt

[denbot]

55. Not no, but fuck no.

The union will hold.

[SunImp]

58. It's not looking too good if the people keep electing Trumps, Abbots, Desantis, Cruzs and Hawleys

[Voltaire2]

61. A one party authoritarian system is entirely possible, in fact it is quite likely.

The control of the USSC, gerrymandering, and the efforts to put republican state legislatures in control of elector slates are all aimed at doing exactly that. The plans are very real and are being enacted right now. Anyone who thinks this can't happen here is seriously mistaken.