OPINION:
At the time of this writing, the outcome of the presidential race is pretty close to a coin flip. So what I write is not in any way influenced by who will win in November since that is unknowable.
What is a virtual certainty is that after Nov. 5, roughly half the country will be full of joy and the other half will be in a deep depression that is likely to last for the next four years.
Don’t be surprised if the losing party’s anger and despair spill over into violent protests — especially in the streets of our major cities. Regrettably, politics in America is now a contact sport.
Whoever wins, America will be further ripped down its seams. Red states and blue states will even be more polarized from each other. Don’t be surprised if half the country is near rebellion against the policies of either President Kamala Harris or President Donald Trump.
Patronizing speeches by the victor about being president of “all the people” and promises to unite the country will only pour salt in the wounds of the losing side. The left will detest the Trump agenda. The right will fight every element of the Harris agenda. It will feel like an occupation for the 49% on the losing side.
We must accept the unhappy reality that we are today, the Disunited States of America. The U.S. is ideologically, culturally and economically more polarized than perhaps at any time since the Civil War. The conservative half of the country is on Venus, and the liberal half is on Mars. Yes, there is a moderate-middle section, but the tails have grown more populated and influential.
We see in polls that more and more Americans don’t even want to associate with those with different political views. We are also becoming more geographically segregated — not based on race or ethnicity or income, but on ideology. Red states are getting redder. Blue states are getting bluer. In recent years, an estimated 2 million Republicans have moved out of states such as New York to Florida, Texas and the Carolinas.
Given these realities, is there a way for us to “all get along”?
Fortunately, yes. There is a logical way to keep America united as one nation and to avert chaos and mayhem. Fortunately, this solution is consistent with the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. For those who have forgotten, the 10th Amendment decrees that all powers not specifically granted to the federal government are reserved to “the states and the people.”
We need a radical return to federalism. We need to devolve powers back to the states.
U.S. citizens in all states and the District of Columbia are, of course, united by a common national defense, the commerce clause that made America the largest and most prosperous free trade zone in history and most importantly, our inalienable rights as citizens as outlined in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. A state, for example, does not have the right to pass laws that would violate a citizen’s right to free speech or peaceful assembly or to discriminate against citizens based on skin color or gender.
But given society’s schisms, almost everything else is better decided at the state, not the federal level. Issues related to transportation, taxation, education, environment, energy and business regulation belong to the states. Americans can then escape from policies they view as oppressive by moving to a state that conforms to their values and preferences.
People in Mississippi or Utah have no problem with Californians being charged 13% income tax.
Tax rates, enacting forced union policies, providing health care to illegal immigrants, shutting down power plants, abolishing natural gas stoves or plastic bags, or providing reparation payments to aggrieved groups.
New Yorkers shouldn’t mind if Texans impose no income tax, allow people to drive 75 mph down the highway or regulate how cattle are bred.
What residents of red states such as Montana and South Carolina object to is New Yorkers telling them how to live.
Under this framework, Ms. Harris’ policies can prevail in blue states, and Mr. Trump’s policies can prevail in red states, and everyone will be happy.
No harm, no foul.
Again, the federal government is still responsible for protecting the civil liberties and “inalienable rights” of all residents of the United States. Restoring Jim Crow laws would be impossible.
Alas, this framework is exactly the opposite of what Democrats seek. Suppose you examine the Biden and Harris agendas. In that case, the Democrats are determined to federalize nearly all policies, which would force Americans nationwide to live under the same laws and policies. They want to nationalize union policies, environmental policies, energy policies, welfare policies, taxation, etc. They want to de facto toss out the Ninth and 10th amendments altogether.
This inevitably leads to the tyranny of the majority, which now and after November will be a razor-thin majority dictating policies to all Americans. This tyranny will be even greater felt if either a victorious GOP or the Democrats overturn the filibuster rule of 60 votes to muscle sweeping legislation out of the Senate.
It’s amazing that some 250 years ago, our Founding Fathers had exactly the right vision for keeping America united in 2024 and beyond.
• Stephen Moore is a visiting fellow at The Heritage Foundation and co-author of the new book “The Trump Economic Miracle.”
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