America Is On the Brink of a Second Civil War

'Catastrophic end': Conservative judge warns of dangers of a second Trump term
Story by M.L. Nestel  •
11/o3/23
Donald Trump
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A second presidential term for Donald Trump would be both "regrettable" and "catastrophic" to American democracy.

That's according to retired judge J. Michael Luttig who spoke candidly with NBC' News' Jordan Rubin on the "Deadline: Legal Blog."

It is Luttig's belief that the 45th president and his GOP allies "instigated a war on American democracy on Jan. 6" when MAGA-sympathetic mobs engaged in a riot and stormed the Capital to thwart Congressional efforts to certify the 2020 presidential election results in then President-Elect Joe Biden's favor.


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Luttig said Trump and company's actions on that day have left an indelible legacy: they "corrupted American democracy and our elections, to the extent that, today, millions and millions of Americans no longer have faith and confidence in American democracy and in our elections."
And Luttig, who advised former Vice President Mike Pence against overturning the electoral college vote at the culmination of the voting, is deeply perplexed by how the battle lines etched by Trump and the opposition haven't altered, making for a very uncertain election come November 2024.

"It’s evident that the former president and his allies are going to prosecute that war against democracy to its catastrophic end," he said. "And if the former president were to be elected, again, to the office of the president, then I believe that that would be regrettable, for American democracy and the rule of law."

Related video: Republican's Jan. 6 Posts Come Back To Haunt Him As He Tries To Save Trump (Newsweek)

Newsweek
Republican's Jan. 6 Posts Come Back To Haunt Him As He Tries To Save Trump
Luttig noted that the former president's sowed discontent is reaping many consequences in several courtrooms.

For the retired jurist, Trump doesn't deserve to be on the ballot in the first place based on the Constitution's Civil War-era Section 3 of the 14th Amendment — the law is being tested in both Colorado and Minnesota among other states by groups of voters aiming to scratch him from the ballot.

Luttig paraphrases how it "disqualifies any person who, having taken an oath to support the Constitution of the United States, thereafter engages in an insurrection or rebellion against the Constitution of the United States, disqualifying that person from holding high public office in the future, including the presidency."

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President of the United States Donald Trump speaking with attendees at the 2019 Student Action Summit hosted by Turning Point USA at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Florida. From Gage Skidmore.
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Is The United States of America In A Second Civil War? - The United States is seemingly more polarized than ever since the 19th century.

The days of a united nation rallying together to defeat a common foe are a distant memory of a bygone era.

Both Democrats and Republicans are pointing fingers at each other, accusing the opposition of subverting democracy.


Intel: McAfee
When democracy is at stake - the very pinnacle of the freedoms we cherish - it can be the warning sign of a large-scale conflict.

 
Of course, human instinct is naturally attracted to bad news, and it’s easier to look back to a more optimistic 2008, where Barack Obama and John McCain offered messages of hope.

That said, it’s hard to look back on a time where the two likely presidential candidates for an upcoming election were such complete polar opposites.
Donald Trump’s Rhetoric
The Republican frontrunner is no stranger to an aggressive approach to win an election.

After all, breaking the accepted norms of political debate was how he won in 2016.

In the dying days of his presidency, Trump gave an impassioned speech to supporters in Washington D.C.

Two hours later, rioters infiltrated the Capitol in what many called an attack on democracy.

Related video: Civil War Myths (Dailymotion)

The former president’s involvement is disputed, but deemed enough by federal prosecutors to criminally charge him.

The last days of Trump’s tenure in office settled down, and until recently, the former president had as well.

Four indictments and civil trials appearing seemingly out of nowhere have changed that, and Trump is now posting threats in all capital letters for his followers.

It perhaps would not be as much of an issue if the 77-year-old was a candidate with little chance of winning.

However, Trump leads the Republican primary race by a monumental margin, and recent opinion polls have had him tied with incumbent President Joe Biden. The election, likely to be a rematch of 2020, will be close.

Civil War Coming Soon?
Being honest, it’s hard to see Biden or his supporters responding in a fashion akin to Trump and his loyalists should the Democrat lose next year’s election.

Biden was resigned to the “transition candidate” status long before entering the White House, and was arguably only forced to run again due to the unpopularity of Vice President and natural successor Kamala Harris.


For Trump, this is his last shot. If he wins the election, he is term limited; if he doesn’t, he will be a candidate with a 1-2 record well into his 80s. The chances are that there won’t be a Trump 2028; if he is adamant on returning to the White House, what options would he realistically have other than to resort to drastic measures.

Can one fairly say the U.S. is in the middle of a Second Civil War? No. Can one fairly say the U.S. is on the brink of a Second Civil War? Maybe yes.

Shay Bottomley is a British journalist based in Canada. He has written for the Western Standard, Maidenhead Advertiser, Slough Express, Windsor Express, Berkshire Live and Southend Echo, and has covered notable events including the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

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