The Second Civil War; and the comming Bolivarian Utopia.

Currently, in California, a cadre of arch-conservative political operatives are engineering a Constitutional Crisis, and setting up the beginning of another Civil War.
The same men who brought us the recall election and who had ties to the swift boat fiasco, have instigated a petition for a proposition in the coming election. This proposition (as yet un-numbered), if passed, would apportion Californian electoral votes proportionally, instead in the traditional winner-takes all model.
Now, if every state in the Union were to do the same we might finally end up with something approaching a direct popular vote for president. But if only California passes this law it will mean that some percentage of California’s votes will go to the Republican candidate, I’ve heard estimates of 22 votes, or the equivalent of Ohio. That’s enough to assure a Republican victory in anything but an absolute Democratic landslide, even if the Republican candidate loses the popular vote by a significant amount.
This in itself is horrible: for the second time in three elections we would get a president who lost the popular vote (unprecedented in US history), and by a potentially significant percentage. But what’s more, there is already an emerging legal battle. The democrats are denouncing the proposition as unconstitutional, pointing out that the constitution only allows the state legislatures to pass laws about how to apportion electors. The Republicans will surely counter that the California legislature has passed laws stating that the California electorate can choose how to apportion electors (the initiative system) and that therefore they did make a decision, though in a removed way.

The result of this will be another election decided by the Supreme Court.

Now consider the apocalypse scenario, always a favorite of this blog: The continuing unpopularity of Bush, coupled with repeated Republican scandals and the outing of Newt Gingrich as also gay, lead to a tremendously low Republican turn out. In contrast a Democratic all star team of Obama for President, Hillary for VP, with Edwards as Secretary of Labor, Richardson as Secretary of State, Biden as Defense secretary, Kucinich as Secretary of Peace, and Gravel as White House Chief of Staff, win a resounding victory for progressivism.

But with California’s crazy new law Fred Thompson still wins the presidency in a decision handed down by the Roberts court.

Marches on Washington ensue. Mayor Bloomberg throws his money and political clout to the liberal side, Trump wants independence for New York. In Seattle Bill Gates declares that the next President will be a complex algorithm he's been working on. Google agents, deployed for months in the field, begin the final information revolution. The oil companies want their own oil puppet state in Alaska and maneuver towards Alaskan autonomy. The farmers of central California take the opportunity to establish a semi-feudal order. Wall Street hires Blackwater as its private force and begins establishing ultra-capitalist law in parts of New York, Chicago and San Francisco: you will be shot if you give your change to a bum.

Walmart is the only force for cohesion in the entire country, and the only thing we can agree about; its CEO comes out in favor of the Old US and begins to raise a redneck/trailer trash army to defend America.
The Michigan militia comes out in favor of Thompson, the Oregon Militia in favor of Obama. The regular Army, bogged down in Iraq proves ineffectual. The Generals split on who to support. The Governors of Texas and Arizona call up all reserve and guard units in a double effort to absolutely seal the Mexican border and ensure domestic tranquility. Montana and North Dakota do the same with Canada. Now Wyoming Controls the nuclear silos and California controls the naval and fighter power.

Topping everything off, the big one hits LA and SF at the same time. To ensure that anarchy does not break-out all the way up and down the earthquake devastated West Coast, Governer Schwarzenegger devolves control of Edwards Air force base and Vandenberg to the state. China offers aid and sends its Navy to US coastal waters; the Europeans offer their support to the Liberal Powers; Japan with its new conservative government weighs in on the Conservative side; Mexico calls for all Mexican nationals in the US to arm themselves in preparation for the coming race war and masses the Mexican army along the Southern border. Malcolm X rises from the grave.
Thompson from a highly guarded White House issues calls for calm, but there is talk of a secret service coup. Obama and Hillary have set up a shadow White House from the Capitol and continue to demand that Thompson end the constitutional crisis by resigning.
Once the entire country has become a tinderbox, ready for igniting, the crazies come out: California separatists, demanding independence for the Republic of Pacific, form guerrilla bands in the Sierras and raid the small towns of Nevada. Zorro comes back to the San Joaquin Valley. The reconstituted Army of Virginia declares that the South is indeed rising again and threatens to take Washington if independence is not granted. Race riots occur all through the south. Alaska secedes, as does Hawaii and with it half the US Navy. Texas splits in thirds, the south declaring allegiance to Mexico, the north to the US, and the middle to the Lone Star Republic. The Indian reservations unite and begin raids on any nearby white populations. The Mormons declare the independence of The Mormon Republic of Greater Utah and prepare for siege (that's why they have all those silos).

The country has disintegrated.

Mexico reclaims all of the Rio Grande Valley through Santa Fe, southern Arizona and old Tejas; the West Coast becomes independent under Presidente for Life Schwarzenegger; New England and upstate New York join Canada; the Confederate States of America re-emerge as a major military power; Las Vegas declares itself as the Autonomous Anarcho-Capitalist Freestate of Bellagia; only the plains and the Mid-west remain loyal to the Old US, emerging from the break-up as the United States of Middle America.
In New York, now an the independent City-State of Newest York, diplomats from the regional powers strive to avoid chaos, but conflict looms over the continent. It is rumored that President Romney of the Mormon Theocracy is meeting with, Premir of the Province of New England Hillary, Generalissimo Bush of Texas, Confederate President Jeb Bush, Presidente Calderon of Mexico, the prime minister of Canada, Dictator Schwarzenegger and the enigmatic guerrilla leader Commandante Obama, at the palace of Lord Guiliani, in a last ditch effort to broker some sort of European Union style confederation.
But Middle American President Thompson will not be denied. Having sung Dixie for the last time and crying a solitary tear for his beloved Tennessee, he orders a nuclear strike on the North's ancestral enemy.

General war overtakes North America.

Years later, Hugo Chavez leading the Army of South America, restores peace; conquering what were once the NAFTA States in the name of the Bolivarian Republic of the Americas. A Spanish speaking socialist Utopia is created which dominates the world for the next 1000 years.

This is what I’m predicting for the 2008 election. Remember, you heard it here first.