Quote Originally Posted by Dayuhan View Post
I don't see any of this heading toward revolution or insurgency at this point, but individuals flying off the handle and making a mess... I'm guessing we'll see more of that.
I wouldn't say the threat of "revolution" or "insurgency" is technically non-existent. The US has a far more diverse, active, and violent far-right movement than far-left; from the classical white supremacist organizations to the sovereign citizen and militia movements, and the more legitimatized Tea Party. All of them share strains of ideological thought about government, policy, race relations, and so forth. In addition, the rhetoric of mainstream media normalizes the language, symbols, and ideas of division and dehumanization of the metropolitan Other.

The crash of 2008 and the consequent devastation of local economies unleashed the intensity of the Tea Party which for several years has dominated the political space to the exclusion of functional governance. What kind of events can further drive the far-right into legitimate politics? This is a self-fulling prophecy; the more active these groups, the less functional government becomes, and the less functional government becomes, the more ideological frenzy intensifies.

The federal government is (1) not growing, (2) not incompetent, and (3) not repressive (in the American experience, it's typically the local government that most likely demonstrates these traits). Yet the government's actions are viewed within the narrow prism of reactionary populism. Barring another economic burst (the threat of which still exists in several sectors, including real estate), I suspect we will see a gradual return to stability.