It is serious – it is an American (cold) civil war
By VLADIMIR MINKOVUpdated: JANUARY 25, 2017 07:35
If somebody states we are in the state of a civil war, two questions must be answered – (1) what are the two fighting parties and (2) how to distinguish between the state of a civil war and the state of political disagreements.(1)The two US fighting parties are not what the mainstream news media and political pundits are presenting to us such as conservatives vs. liberals, democrats vs. republicans, rich vs. poor, men vs. women or blacks vs. whites.One of the two fighting parties consists of the people of the traditional American Judeo-Christian morality who might be religious or secular. The people of traditional American Judeo-Christian morality are judging what is good and is bad in the nation by the Torah/Bible guidance (obtained genetically and by traditional education). The unquestionable leader of this party is the just inaugurated US President Donald Trump.The other fighting party consists of the people of the establishment hegemony, who again may be religious or secular and who are judging what is good and what is bad in the nation by what strengthens their own power. In this fighting party, we find the government (all three branches at federal and state levels), the mainstream news media, various mighty social and political organizations, and even some private enterprises, which are thriving on taxpayers’ money. It looks like there are three leaders of this party - Former US President Barak Obama, Former Secretary of State Hilary Clinton and Senator Bernie Sanders.(2)The state of political disagreements exists when there is a certain common set of national moral values and traditions, which the fighting parties are trying to reach using different political and social means. If that is the case, a compromise on how to proceed can be reached between the two parties – one, which has won the election and the other one, which has lost. Both parties are participating in governing. That was in the past of our country – it is not anymore.The case of (cold) civil war exists when there is no more national unity on the set of national moral values and traditions and both fighting parties are trying to implement their own vision of governing the country by morally vilifying the adversary (the state of the cold war) or killing the enemy (the state of the hot war).Here is what we have now in our political battles.There is no common constitutional ground in the Supreme Court – the decisions are being made on strictly liberal vs. conservative interpretation of the Constitution. There is no common ground in the mainstream media – the news are presented on strictly pro-Trump and anti-Trump positions. There is no common legislative ground in the Congress – the laws are being made on a strictly partisan voting. There is no common social cohesiveness among the population – the massive rallies of pro-Tramp and anti-Tramp crowds are equally impressive with no attempts to find a compromise. After numerous legislative actions to find a common ground with African American community, we are losing the small pieces of commonality we have found in the past. There is no common ground on the foreign affairs. There is no common ground on the welfare assistance. There is no common ground on the “women issues”. Etc.
From the news media: Outgoing President Obama refused to condemn the disruptive demonstrations erupting across the country against President-Elect Donald Trump and the violent attacks on his supporters.With calls for an #InaugurationFast, liberal American rabbis navigate political and spiritual waters to lead their flocks in protest of the incoming administration.Altering prayer to exclude Trump, rabbi taps into history of liturgical dissent.The civil rights leader John Lewis: I do not consider Donald Trump a legitimate president. So what to do? The history provides the guidance on how to become a victor in a civil war: the winning party suppresses and defeats the other party by the legislative means (if we are in the state of a cold civil war as it is now) while trying to look for a legislative compromise without compromising the traditional American Judeo-Christian morality.