Friday, July 3, 2026

The Divided States of America

 

The Divided States of America

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/7/3/800063473/cartoon/the-divided-states-of-america/ 

The Divided States of America

by David Horsey
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A cartoon by David Horsey showing Republicans and Democrats on opposing sides
David Horsey/Tribune Content Agency

A cartoon by David Horsey.

Related | Why America 250 won’t save the GOP in the midterms

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  1. Comment by Washburnb.

    Great cartoon! The little kids with the sparklers are all right!

  2. Comment by CanadianKitty.

    Perfect!

  3. Comment by BobRR.

    Thank you for this cartoon! The US is going to have a bright future.

  4. Comment by BenBanks82.

    Great, it's two years after Trump set a multi-generational record for POC support for Republicans and we're still telling ourselves that demography will destroy the GOP. I know those who denied this for years are looking at where the Republicans are polling with these groups in the generic ballot, but the realities are that there's a lot of undecideds in those polls and Democrats are polling well below where they're going to end up as well. There does not appear to be evidence despite an average lead of several points for Dems in the "generic ballot" average that they're even going to get their POC support back up to Joe Biden levels. If we can't do that in this economy, it really is time to recognize that ideology trumps everything in the age of polarization.

    Not, in all fairness to the civil rights movement, that this is not our only solidarity fantasy. There's those who apparently believe that we still have the same class-based coalition as in the 20th century, that the anti-"woke" Zoomers on this here Internet are somehow on our side, and/or that the Roelash is STILL coming even though abortion isn't getting much traction in the midterm campaigns so far.

    I see two reasons for these delusions. The first is that our critics are right about one thing: We are an overconfident lot. I mean, Tip O'Neill admits in his memoirs that he gave Ronald Reagan no chance in 1980. A few decades later, many around here thought a Kamala Harris landslide was coming.

    The other reason is that progressives are allergic to the whole idea of a political divide based on ideology rather than the powerful versus the exploited. But what you pretend isn't true is still true.

    • Reply by kamrom.

      I saw people here saying that 'shy democrats' would help us. Even though that's what we thought would happen in 2024. We are still pretty likely to take the House of course. But its not the sure thing it should be.

  5. Comment by Paul C.

    Not shown are the billionaires orchestrating all of this.

    Pining for times of yore when we had a functioning government? Then tax the fucking billionaires into oblivion. The test results are back - they are the pathogens causing this disease!

    • Reply by teerah.

      The oligarchs and Mr. Drumpf are masters at Machiavellism. Divide and conquer. ALL Americans who are not billionaires or mega millionaires have reason to reject the GOP, regardless of how they feel about dems: and granted, the dems have failed the leadership test. And yet almost half of us keep voting against our own best interests.

  6. Comment by coolspring.

    The children have the right idea

    • Reply by vgranucci.

      My thought exactly

  7. Comment by ProfessorAlbee.

    Politically, I am afraid that the United States will more likely than not collapse from within its own weight.

    • Reply by CaptainDunsel.

      Collapse from the weight of mixed metaphors, more like.

    • Reply by ProfessorAlbee.

      I meant to say: ' . . . its own massive weight.'.

  8. Comment by KamikazeGerbil.

    I blame Fox "news"

  9. Comment by teerah.

    Well, its very worth noting that when people nostalgically look back on " the good ol' days", they're always white. I was around during those good Ole days, and I'm white, and I don't remember them as being good at all. I remember people I went to school with being killed in Viet Nam. For what? I remember clearly a black guy in my class, there were only about 8 or 10 in my class of 240, being hazed and called derisive names based on his real name. The ridiculer was a punk, a no good jackass who loved to fight but was only average size. The black guy was probably 6' or 6-2. I didn't understand why the black guy didn't just pulverize and paste him in PE. But now I do understand. He would have been fighting a dozen crackers, not just the one slime ball. No. They weren't good ol' days. Then, like now, they were good for a few and most people were just trying to get by.

    • Reply by CaptainDunsel.

      They're not just white, they're delusional. They want to go back to jim Crow without going back to polio epidemics, the draft, unsafe cars, and being denied health insurance for preexisiting conditions. They want the old days like they see on old TV shows, not the real old days when cancer meant certain death.

    • Reply by teerah.

      I've noticed as I get older that memories are usually pretty selective and often mistaken

    • Reply by Saint Stephen.

      I heard the "good old days" stuff when I was 18; now I'm hearing the same when I'm 72. Too many people have an idealized view of how great things were back then. And the Rethugs know how to capitalize on that.

    • Reply by Truth Will Out.

      Well, from the end of ww2 up to about Reagan, the middle class got steadily bigger and richer. In general, I think that’s the good old days that people long for. Since Reagan, the GOP has been taken over by the rich, who are dragging us steadily into oligarchy. The nimrods who continue to support the GOP and the good old days are being duped by outlets such as Fox news, who are pushing propaganda that inevitably benefits the rich upper class.

  10. Comment by Noah Andersen.

    What a hopeful image - thankee! May we follow the children, and they follow us not so much.

  11. Comment by LeMoJoust.

    On this our 250th anniversary remember boys & girls, you get crumbs while oligarchs & corporations get the whole cake. The feckless media writ large warns you Shhhh! Don't make them upset. Threaten their obscene profits & power & they may take their ball & go home, then where would you be? They may be snout deep in the golden trough of government welfare but don't forget, it's really those black & brown immigrants that eat your cats & dogs & sow chaos & harm this great nation. Never forget "Democratic Socialist" are the two most dangerous words in the English language. "Child Rapist"? Not in the top 100. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

  12. Comment by @Loca Grienga.

    Thank you David, this is exactly the truth. Best description of the 250 years anniversary on the 4th of July. We will get to this future.

  13. Comment by Betty Lou.

    It is divided because a certain amount of the population believe every single word that comes out of Trumps mouth, it matters not that what he has said has been proven to be a lie they ignore that and continue to support and defend him. For them it seems it's the gospel according to Trump!

    • Reply by BobRR.

      Trump's doctors say he will live for 200 years, and he certainly intends to keep the White House as his own.

    • Reply by Saint Stephen.

      The real evil in this situation is Fox "News" and the other right wing media sites, that continually pump out hatred and lies.

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