This week, Republican governors across the country escalated their conflict with the Biden administration over the southern border by invoking the same legal theory that slave states wielded to justify secession before the Civil War.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, joined by 25 other GOP governors, now argues that the Biden administration has violated the federal government’s “compact” with the states—an abdication that justifies state usurpation of federal authority at the border.

This language embraces the Confederacy’s conception of the Constitution as a mere compact that states may exit when they feel it has been broken. It’s dangerous rhetoric that transcends partisan grandstanding. And as before, it’s being used to legitimize both nullification and dehumanization.

  • noride
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    5 months ago

    Even a single red state ‘leaving’ the US would crush their house majority and deprive them of two senators. No way it happens.

    • DoomBot5@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      Even better, since they receive more federal money than they give, we’d be left with excess money that can be used for states that actually give a damn about their people.

      • Shyfer@ttrpg.network
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        5 months ago

        Texas might be the one red state that’s not true for. They make a lot of money, it helps that they have oil.

        • KevonLooney
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          5 months ago

          But you forget that they only make that money as part of the US. If they were their own country they would have to replicate a lot of government institutions, with little experience or help from other countries.

          It would be very expensive to put an embassy in every country around the world, or negotiate trade agreements. The UK is fucked after leaving the EU and they already had all the government infrastructure and relationships set up.

          Texas is not a signatory of NAFTA, so they would literally be left out of North American trade. They’d end up at the level of Mexico in 20 years due to brain drain.

    • Ensign_Crab@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      Yeah, but they know a Democratic majority in the Senate will have just enough Manchins to be effectively a Republican majority.

      • MotoAsh@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        I love how you’re downvoted for saying something factually true. It’s so insanely frustrating how much in denial Americans are about Democrats being center-right.

        • Serinus@lemmy.world
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          5 months ago

          I agree about the centrist part, but not because of Manchin.

          Manchin isn’t some rotating villain conspiracy. He’s from fucking West Virginia. What are you expecting? Dems don’t vote in lockstep, and need more than the slimmest majority to legislate.

          Republicans aren’t much different. It’s not like they’re legislating.

          • MotoAsh@lemmy.world
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            5 months ago

            I mean, Manchin isn’t surprising when you realize where Dems sit on the political stage.

            Though I’d argue Republicans have moved so far right that it is pure ignorance to pretend they’re only “not much different” even only on legislation.