Excellent commentary (Jared Yates Sexton)
It's a twitter thread that I've pasted below. He posted it today at 8:30 AM
With continual and intentional obstruction and the total capturing of federal government by special interests, not to mention intractable political differences, it feels like a shift is happening that will throw more power to the states and more or less cleave us in two.
Already there is a marked difference in how people live in states based on political control and that difference is only going to grow as this shift picks up momentum and the federal keeps kicking responsibility back. Red and Blue Americas would only grow further apart.
If Roe v Wade were overturned, and if state laws disenfranchising voters and overturning elections continue to go unchallenged, were going to see a disturbing amount of unadulterated oppression, continuing radicalization, and illiberal democracy on an unheralded level.
The federal level is just terrified and unwilling to actually act, leaving these matters to the states. And whats more, an action would probably either lead to violence or just fail politically. Its a result that wouldnt be possible had the GOP not carried out a dismantling.
The truth is that post-Civil Right the GOP has gone tirelessly after federal power to reestablish control in the name of white supremacy and patriarchal power. That and the wealthys demolition of regulation and legislative bodies has created a situation ripe for this.
I think we might look back on both austerity and the pandemic as heralds of this move from federal to state oversight, including Trump passing the buck on responsibility. It feels carved in stone, but I certainly hope Im wrong because it could get very bad.