The behavior of the Republican Party can only be explained by that they see another coup attempt in the near future. Republicans are lining up to earn a high spot for the aftermath of that coup. And that means the higher rankers are getting the masses riled up. To put this more bluntly, a Republican oligarchy is very plausible in the next five years. And there might not be a damn thing we can do about it.
The recent gubernatorial election in Virginia is a great sign for this oligarchy. Despite mounting evidence of a future coup, 30% of eligible voters in Virginia continued to support the Republicans. These people would prefer a Republican oligarchy than a two-party democracy. And 30% support is enough to effect the dismantling of democracy in the USA. That’s the same percentage of Americans that had sent the British packing from the 13 colonies in the War of Independence. Coups don’t need elections or 50%+1 approval. Thirty percent is more than enough.
Let me be a little more blunt. The Virginia election shows the inability of American democracy to self-correct. This election is perhaps the most significant political event since Mr. Trump took a ride down the escalator.
My first two versions of my book on Tiered Democratic Governance (TDG) were written in 2000 and 2004. Let’s just say that the TDG concept was on the primitive side with these versions. The third version, completed in 2009, was when all the pieces were put together. At that time, I thought the TDG would take about 20 years to build to a point where it can assume responsibility for governance. We need that time to learn and apply some new tools to make the TDG work. “Yeah,” I figured in 2009, “western democracy probably still has another 20 years left. We can build the TDG by 2029.”
That was 12 years ago. No one has starting building the TDG. And we might not make it to 2029 anyways, let alone start with another 20-year window. We have to plan to build the American TDG under the auspices of a Republican oligarchy.
If the Republicans do take over, it’s important to understand the social/political forces of that near future time. Unlike other historical oligarchies, the Republicans will not be able to psychologically subdue the entire 70% of the American population that will not support them. There is going to be significant opposition to their rule: lots of protests, lots of violent protests, lots of left-wing militias. These militias will not have any central command, but they will be just about everywhere. Of course, this will bring out the right-wing militias who have been looking for a good fight for a long time. So the American civil war will be mostly rival militias battling in urban jungles with a supposedly neutral police force.
The left-wing militias may be outgunned. But they will be highly motivated, and they won’t be going away soon. They will employ similar tactics as those of the Taliban in Afghanistan: few direct confrontations, but hit hard and fast, then run. They can show up at any city at any time keeping security forces on edge. They also will be playing mind games with the right-wing militias on the internet. High-ranking Republicans won’t be safe.
Obviously, there will be more of a police state, with that state trying to find leaders of the left-wing militia and somehow deal with them. But there will be too many leaders to find. Too many innocent people will be arrested, and this will breed more left-wing militia. And certain demographics will need to defend themselves more proactively, siding with the left-wing militia. Expect a few areas of the USA to be more governed by warlords than by politicians, police stations, and courts.
As the two militias engage in their small battles coupled with acts of domestic terrorism, the economy and recreational activities will take a hit, worse than COVID times. But many things will still churn on. Many of us will still be going to work; farm fields will grow wheat; factories will make new cars; office managers will move information and money around. When the bullets start flying, most of us will head in the other direction for a short time. We’ll come back to work when the battle is over. The new normal.
There will be more than enough peace in this chaos such that early TDG builders can build the TDG. They need only invest 10 hours a month and get some neighbors together to write their local TDG constitution.
Early TDG builders need to take on a certain TDG strategy in these times. First, do not take any sides. Stay as far away from political conflict as you can. Both militias will be more focused on each other than the much larger neutral population. Second, expect a little harassment from the police state of the Republican oligarchy. Tell them that “Yes, the TDG is about replacing western democracy because western democracy has deteriorated to the point of having this civil war. If you guys are governing wisely, the USA won’t ever need the TDG.” The Republican oligarchy will focus on their more immediate threat: the left-wing militias. And there will be a lot of internal political warfare within the Republican Party. They will be distracted big time.
Then get your neighbors together to build the TDG. Ten hours a month is still enough effort. Not too much to attract much attention, but enough to move the TDG forward in these troubled times. Did I already mention that there will be fewer recreation opportunities? I think you can find those 10 hours.
As the small battles wage, most of us will survive. The TDG will grow and mature. By the time many of the belligerents of the two sides are killed off and only a few will want to fight anymore, the many neutral people just might say: “OK, how do we reconstruct ourselves so that we don’t end up in the same mess again? . . . . . . Oh look, there’s the TDG!”
Published on Medium 2021
