The future of the United States as a viable political entity is today in the hands of the GOP. Not, as you might think, because of the way they are using the filibuster to stymie any Congressional action that might start to fix our problems. The filibuster abuse is only a symptom, an illustration of a fundamental weakness in the way our system of government is constructed.
The Founding Fathers carefully crafted a multi-part government with checks and balances, based as much as possible on the Enlightenment philosophy of the supremacy of reason. Although they had hoped to avoid factions, factions - political parties - did quickly coalesce, but the system adjusted itself to this reality. It functioned, and despite some minor corrections, and some major ones (the Civil War in particular), it continued to function until recently - because all of the parts of the system, whatever their disagreements, by and large respected the supremacy of reason.
But our system of government was never designed for one of its parts going batshit insane.
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