Splitsville USA: A Democratic Argument for Breaking Up the United States

Cover
Endorsement Page
Half Title
Title Page
Copyright Page
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1 Prelude: Time for a US National Divorce
	1.1 Signs of the End of Our Democracy
	1.2 A Sketch of the Basic Argument for Splitsville
	1.3 Splitsville Is Nonviolent, Negotiated Dissolution
	1.4 A Democratic Conversation Opener, Not a Blueprint or Technical Report
	Notes
	Works Cited
Chapter 2 Diagnosis: Democracy Imperiled
	2.1 The Circumstances of Politics and Democracy
	2.2 The Democratic Precommitment
	2.3 We No Longer Share a Sufficient Democratic Precommitment
	2.4 It’s No Accident: Structural Reasons for the Lack of Democratic Precommitment
		2.4.1 Senate Disproportionality
		2.4.2 Partisan Districting
		2.4.3 State Legislatures Controlling the Electoral College
		2.4.4 Electoral College Disproportionality
		2.4.5 A Stacked but Unaccountable Judiciary
		2.4.6 An Unamendable Constitution
	2.5 It’s Different Now: Four Accelerants Making It Worse
		2.5.1 Loss of Norms of Democracy
		2.5.2 Partisan Polarization
		2.5.3 Changing Public Sphere
		2.5.4 Economic Capture of Policymaking
	2.6 US Democracy Is in Serious Peril
	Notes
	Works Cited
Chapter 3 Prescription: Splitsville USA
	3.1 Basics of US Divorce
	3.2 Constitutional Reboots
	3.3 More Responsive Democracies
		3.3.1 Increasing Homogeneity
		3.3.2 Decreased Size
		3.3.3 Foot-Voting
	3.4 Secessionary Incentives
	3.5 Preconditions for Democracy
	3.6 Recap: The Democratic Argument for Negotiated Dissolution
	Notes
	Works Cited
Chapter 4 Alternative Prescriptions?
	4.1 Evaluating Alternatives
	4.2 The Unstable Status Quo
		4.2.1 Electoral Authoritarianism
		4.2.2 Ungovernability
		4.2.3 Violent Civil Strife
	4.3 Available but Unresponsive Reforms
		4.3.1 Preaching
		4.3.2 Electoral Count Act
		4.3.3 Voting Rights and Campaign Funds Disclosure
		4.3.4 Districting Reforms
		4.3.5 Informal Constitutional Change
	4.4 Responsive but Unavailable Reforms
		4.4.1 Multiparty Democracy
		4.4.2 Article V
		4.4.3 Amendment Proposals
		4.4.4 Convention Proposals
	4.5 Lessons for Splitsville
	Notes
	Works Cited
Chapter 5 The Divorce Decree: Details of Negotiated Dissolution
	5.1 One Simple Lesson from History: Nonviolent National Divorce is Possible
	5.2 The Politics of Negotiated Dissolution: Animosity Redirected Regionally
		5.2.1 Regional Us and Them: The Fuel of Dissolutionary Politics
		5.2.2 The Main Players of Dissolutionary Politics
		5.2.3 Why Regionalism?
	5.3 The Law of Negotiated Dissolution: A Constitutional Divorce Decree
		5.3.1 International Legal Guidance?
		5.3.2 American Legal Guidance?
		5.3.3 Paths to a Divorce Decree
		5.3.4 Content of the Decree
	5.4 New Maps: Drawing Lines and Delimiting Demoi
		5.4.1 Political Decisions, Not Single Principles or Expert Dictates
		5.4.2 Three Plausible Maps
		5.4.3 Viable Nations Favorable to Representative Democracy?
	5.5 Recap
	Notes
	Works Cited
Chapter 6 The Preamble’s Broader Questions for Splitsville
	6.1 We the People of the United States, in Order to Form a More Perfect Union … Do Ordain and Establish This Constitution …
	6.2 Establish Justice?
	6.3 Insure Domestic Tranquility?
	6.4 Provide for the Common Defense?
		6.4.1 The Value of Defense in the Current United States
		6.4.2 Intra-Splitsville Defense
		6.4.3 International Military, Diplomatic, Economic and Cultural Power
		6.4.4 Values beyond National Defense
	6.5 Promote the General Welfare?
		6.5.1 Aggregate Welfare
		6.5.2 Distributive Welfare
	6.6 Secure the Blessings of Liberty?
	6.7 To Ourselves and Our Posterity?
		6.7.1 Constitutional Endurance
		6.7.2 Constitutional Veneration
	6.8 Recap
	Notes
	Works Cited
Chapter 7 Authoring Our Own Destiny
	Notes
	Works Cited
Index