American Civil War II?

(Image:  The Electoral Map of the 2000 Election)

Yesterday, we celebrated our nation's birthday--what unifies us as Americans.  Now that the Independence Day party is over, it's time to look at what separates us.  To say our country is divided politically is an understatement.  All one needs to look at is the Electoral Map of the 2000 Election to see where the battle lines are drawn.  Conservatives call this "The Red Sea," while liberals refer to it as "Fly-Over Country."

Despite a couple states changed sides in 04 and even more in 08, not much has changed.  And the emotional divide is getting worse.  Witness liberal reaction to the TEA Parties along with "Palin Derangement Syndrome." 

The concerns among conservatives is that our "ship of state" is heading for the financial falls, much like the PIGS of Europe (Portugal, Italy, Greece and Spain).  For the past several years a friend of mine has been convinced another civil war is brewing.  I never took him that seriously.  Now I'm not so sure.

Mark Steyn discusses why some states may feel it's time to "jump ship:"

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/271053/liberty-and-loss-mark-steyn 

In the 2004 Election, New Mexico and New Hampshire changed sides, but the rest of the "usual suspects" stood firm.  This was still a close election.  Despite the swath of red, several of the blue states have a much higher population. 

In the 2008 Election, many states were caught up in the historic moment of Barack Obama running for president.  Since then, Obama's popularity rating plunged to the low 40 percentages.  Congress continues to debate the debt ceiling issue, with very little headway made towards resolving the looming crisis. 

Conservative Americans are hoping Congress will do more than "re-arrange the deck chairs on the Titanic."