During every modern presidential election cycle, pundits and experts have claimed the current election is "the most consequential" — whether it be “in my lifetime,” "in this century" or “since World War II.”

Thankfully, America survived all of those contests and often thrived after a course correction or pendulum swing away from the loser. Looking back, those “most consequential” presidential elections have always seemed tame compared to the next one.

But today, when it comes to 2024, “most consequential” may be tragically understated. The extreme polarization in today's body politic rivals that of the 1860 presidential election won by Abraham Lincoln, whose inauguration was followed by the start of the Civil War just five weeks later.

Like 1860, the 2024 presidential election is fraught with explosive constitutional and institutional issues potentially threatening America’s founding principles. Millions of Americans believe that the preservation of democracy is indirectly on the ballot. So, too, is the potential consolidation of power in an executive branch poised to unbalance tri-equal power shared with the legislative and judicial branches of government.

The perception of an existential crisis for the U.S. is only enhanced by the blockbuster movie “Civil War” and a recent poll that inspired the screaming Drudge Report headline: “41 percent see Civil War ll on the horizon.”

Last month, a Pew Research Center survey found that half of registered voters........

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