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America hasn’t been this divided since the Civil War. But does that mean that if the election doesn’t go the way that either party wants, another civil war will break out?
AccordingtoapolltakenbyTheTimes,aboutaquarteroftheU.S.populationfearsthatcivilwarmaybreakoutaftertheelection.
BarbaraWalter,anotedCivilWarhistorian,wrotea2022bestseller,“HowCivilWarsStartandHowtoStopThem.”Shesaidthatmeasuredagainstachecklistofthefactorsthatcouldleadtocivilwar,“theUnitedStates…hasenteredverydangerousterritory.”Sheaddedthat“weareclosertocivilwarthananyofuswouldliketobelievebecauseof“politicalextremism,culturaltribalism,theembraceofconspiracytheories,proliferationofgunsandmilitiasandtheerosionoffaithingovernmentanddemocracy.”
Onlythefinalitemonherchecklistmatters.Neithertherightnorthelefthasfaithinourinstitutionstogovernus.Therightdoesn’ttrustthevote-countingprocesswhiletheleftthinksTrumpwill“destroydemocracy”ifhewins.It’sanincendiarymixthatdoesn’tbodewe