TDW started it, and I'm gonna keep it going:
I apologize in advance for my pessimistic outlook, but what if -- for some reason, devious
or otherwise -- we don't take either house in November? What if we wake up and nothing's changed? What if our entire government remains in the hands of one ideologically-driven party of fools? There is no scenario I can imagine in which we
don't turn, ostensibly shamelessly, into a truly fascist, authoritarian regime. Where would we be in two years, then? As Americans, we'd be complicit, just as those 'ordinary folks' in Germany who resented -- yet didn't actively oppose -- the rise of the National Socialists (the Nazis).
I don't know about all of you, but I'm not ready for history to paint my family in that same light. To me, it appears we have two choices, should Republicans maintain their majority in both houses: active, organized, non-violent revolt; or flight. But there are problems, either way:
If we stage a revolt, the best we can hope for is something akin to what's happening in Mexico. Barring a physical takeover of the White House and Capitol Hill, we're just standing in front of a bulldozer. The mainstream media, corporate power, and politicians are effectively untouchable in these times -- they need not pay any attention. If we boycott, the government will subsidize and the media (owned by the very same people) will kowtow.
If we leave, we're admitting that the American democracy has been a colossal failure; we're also accepting the fact that we may face persecution and estrangement wherever we go -- which brings to mind another potential problem, in the case of mass exodus. Where, exactly, is there room for us? Where will we be welcome? Who will give us jobs? Rights? Medical care? Who will feed us? Oh, and will we even be allowed to leave? If we're allowed to leave, will we be allowed to arrive anywhere else? Or come back?
This November, we may have to protest. The protests may succeed, sparking resignations, a coup d'etat and/or revolution, but it's actually more likely to fail miserably. In that case, we may have to decide that this country isn't for us anymore. But, if we should come to that decision, it can't be that simple, as we have to know where we're going, and what we're going to do when we get there. Either way, we're going to have to reconcile, with our own world views, the implausible reality of America's collapse.