How bad do things actually have to get before a Civil War becomes a possibility? While the US has had plenty of close and controversial elections, 2020 was different. Peacefully transferring power to the President-elect had only ever not happened just one time in the nation's history, which was in 1861 when James Buchanan failed to stop southern states from seceding before Abraham Lincoln took office.

Comparing 1860 to 2020 may seem over-dramatic and uncalled for, and indeed the nation has changed incredibly between those 160 years. What is similar, though, are that two sides of the country bitterly dislike each other and do not trust one another, nor agree upon a shared reality for many of the crises the nation faces. One of the core differences that exists now is that there is little personal and financial incentive from elected officials and the news media alike to try to ease tensions, something that you can easily observe every day online.

We discuss these implications in today’s episode and whether there is anything we can learn from what went wrong from Buchanan’s presidency to apply to today. We also examine the global consequences that arise from the nation’s divide – something that is far too often overlooked by most Americans. 

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