America's coming constitutional crisis
After the votes are counted, the civil war will continue
During every presidential campaign, pontificators solemnly declare that this is the most important presidential election of our lifetimes — a turning point in American history. Every election does mark a turning point of a kind, though in normal times it lasts four to eight years, as we zigzag from the center-left to the center-right. I wonder, though, if this time, our republic is about to tip over into an era unlike any we've seen since the 1960s, and perhaps the 1850s. The political norms that have held our factionalized nation together are coming apart at the seams. No matter who wins next Tuesday, we seem to be hurtling toward a constitutional crisis.
The rift between red and blue America has opened to a chasm of mutual contempt and incomprehension. Politics has become overtly racialized, venomous, toxic — a civil war by other means. For the first time, a presidential nominee, Donald Trump, has declared before the election that the results will be "rigged" and invalid. If Trump ascends to the presidency, Ross Douthat predicts in The New York Times this week, there's a high likelihood of "major civil unrest," with Trump's caustic rhetoric serving to "pour gasoline" on protests and violence. He would take office burdened with multiple allegations that he's a sexual predator, and battling two lawsuits charging him with defrauding students of Trump University. If Hillary Clinton is elected, she will face congressional investigations of the Clinton Foundation and her email server even before she moves into the Oval Office. In some Republican circles, talk of impeachment has already begun. More openly, some Republicans are vowing to refuse to let her fill Supreme Court vacancies for her entire term — in effect, nullifying the presidential election. I have to believe our resilient nation will survive the coming crisis, as we have survived so many others. But Americans have reason to fear where we're headed.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
William Falk is editor-in-chief of The Week, and has held that role since the magazine's first issue in 2001. He has previously been a reporter, columnist, and editor at the Gannett Westchester Newspapers and at Newsday, where he was part of two reporting teams that won Pulitzer Prizes.
-
'A direct, protracted war with Israel is not something Iran is equipped to fight'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Today's political cartoons - April 17, 2024
Cartoons Wednesday's cartoons - political anxiety, jury sorting hat, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Arid Gulf states hit with year's worth of rain
Speed Read The historic flooding in Dubai is tied to climate change
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Arizona court reinstates 1864 abortion ban
Speed Read The law makes all abortions illegal in the state except to save the mother's life
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump, billions richer, is selling Bibles
Speed Read The former president is hawking a $60 "God Bless the USA Bible"
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The debate about Biden's age and mental fitness
In Depth Some critics argue Biden is too old to run again. Does the argument have merit?
By Grayson Quay Published
-
How would a second Trump presidency affect Britain?
Today's Big Question Re-election of Republican frontrunner could threaten UK security, warns former head of secret service
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Rwanda plan is less a deterrent and more a bluff'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By The Week UK Published
-
Henry Kissinger dies aged 100: a complicated legacy?
Talking Point Top US diplomat and Nobel Peace Prize winner remembered as both foreign policy genius and war criminal
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Last updated
-
Trump’s rhetoric: a shift to 'straight-up Nazi talk'
Why everyone's talking about Would-be president's sinister language is backed by an incendiary policy agenda, say commentators
By The Week UK Published
-
More covfefe: is the world ready for a second Donald Trump presidency?
Today's Big Question Republican's re-election would be a 'nightmare' scenario for Europe, Ukraine and the West
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published