The Republican platform calls for a ban on birth control, a ban on abortion, teaching creationism, putting children to work, more jailtime, etc???
Really?
Really? You can’t think of anything that would be worse? I’d say that pretty much nullifies your opinion on the matter.
Well they haven’t released a platform since 2008. But all those ideas are popularly advocated by major Republican lawmakers. The ban on Abortion is a given, the ban on birth control was advocated by Romney (specifically a conception amendment, which would ban any birth control that averts implantation). All current (non-Huntsman) Republican candidates support teaching creationism.
As for putting children to work, I’ll grant that only Newt is currently on board with that one. And are you really questioning that Republicans don’t support increased jail time?
What nation on Earth can destroy us without a nuclear war? What nation on Earth is stupid enough and has the capability to do a large scale nuclear strike?
Aside from a meteor hitting Kansas, a disease killing off all corn production, or an EMP (ala Newt) frying our power grid, the best you could hope for is to destroy the American economy and break its spirit. And I’m not sure what else you could do reasonably within the power of an individual, or an already existing large group of individuals who are willing to act.
Well, first of all, the conservative platform you outlined* was what generally existed in the US prior to about 1970, and we were doing just peachy. So, the idea that it would destroy the economy doesn’t really make much sense.
Secondly, no matter what you might think of the conservative platform, are you really unable to think of another party’s platform that would be worse? None?
*Excluding those parts, like outlawing birth control, which are not actually part of that platform
In all seriousness, I think continuing as you’re doing now oughta do it.
They aren’t part of the platform, but they are the focus of much congressional action. And if you think a 1970s version of America (which had very high taxes for the wealthy, Social Security, birth control and so on, so I don’t necessarily agree with that premise) would do a good job when the rest of the world is operating at a 21st century level, I disagree.
In any case, of course, the Genocide Party of America™ would be worse. But they aren’t going to be elected. The most *likely *thing to ruin the country would be a Hardline GOP president (Perry, Bachman, Palin, etc.), and a GOP house and 61 senators. That’s actually possible and is, in my opinion, far more likely than other ideas to break America.
As evidence, I show the state-level over-reaches that Republican controlled states have done with the tsunami of GOP victories in 2010. The current climate plus a national Republican lock would shit-hammer us good.
I’m not sure if this question or any similar question has been asked on the Straight Dope before.
Was this a question that “shouldn’t” be asked on the Straight Dope, on a list of subjects that Cecil would consider “taboo”? (Is there such a list we can refer to?)
Asking a question about flying saucers doesn’t make me an alien, nor asking questions about cannibalism make me a cannibal.
And asking the question I asked (on a message board somewhere on the internet) doesn’t mean that I’m someone calling for the violent demise of the USA.
(I’m not calling for the violent demise of the USA.)
Shouldn’t we be free to ask sensitive and provocative questions and discuss them without fear of offending someone or fear of retaliation?
I was only interested in seeing what Dopers views were on this subject.
I guess I could “un-ask” the question if I knew how.
It is amazing, isn’t it - how the worst possible damage which could opccur is your political opponents getting power. I suppose it’s true for some definitions of “worst”.
My first thought was Bin Laden’s plan: Draw the US into a series of costly missteps that help ruin the economy, alienate and frighten the rest of the world, and betray the country’s founding principles.
I’d normalize relations with China and watch the economic collapse slowly pick up steam. 
Ours or theirs?
It’s not forbidden, but the tone of the OP suggests that only anti-American dopers are being questioned, and therefore that anyone who answers is assumed to be anti-American. This is part of the reason you’re getting grief.
If you’d framed it as a thought-experiment (“if you were a bad guy, who wanted to destroy the US, how would you go about it?”) you might have more traction. Few people on the dope self-identify as being “American anti-American dopers”, and even those of us in other countries are generally pretty cool with the USAians and wish the country well.
As it is, most people are taking a political and thought-experiment slant with their answers, so this might still be interesting.
Also, the how of “un-asking” is to report your thread by clicking the li’l red triangle at the top right of your post and asking a mod to lock it. But really, there’s no need.
Yeah, I think the Bush administration did a pretty good job of trying to destroy America and continuing the policies of the Republican party will finish the job.
Please cite how much Congressional action has been spent on outlawing birth control.
Well, now you’re just dancing a jig and contradicting yourself as you to try to justify, after the fact, what was a ludicrous assertion. Note where I have added emphasis and compare to what you originally posted about taxes on the wealthy.
I don’t see any reason to continue this discussion since you can’t even decide what your claim is.
Argument to the man fallacy.
Although I could imagine worse, the Republican plans are indeed batshit insane enough to do significant damage to American freedoms, and quality of life.
The Bush years are my cite.
Are you confused? You said that the seventies were just like what the Republicans want to bring about. And that the seventies were fine, so the Republican takeover would be fine.
I noted that the seventies weren’t like the Republican takeover. The taxes were much more skewed to the wealthy.
I think you’re missing something I was saying.
It only works if your political opponents have policy views based on an insane ideological mesh of Christianity and free tax cuts.
TV shows for each and everyone of the Kardashian Klan (even Bruce). A different Kardashian every night, with a 5 hour recap at the end of every month. Of course there will be Holiday Specials and the monthly “A Very Special Episodes” where a random Kardashian will explain a serious social problem and then the rest of the Klan will offer helpful suggestions on how to solve this serous issue.
Give it two years.
One that America just launched ICBMs at. Getting someone into power fanatic enough to start a nuclear war would be an effective means of literally destroying the country (and not doing much good to the rest of the planet for that matter). Possibly one of the Christian apocalyptic types who want the world to end.