Speaking as a Limey so probably totally wrong,I agree with the posters who postulate a Confederate resurge,a New England nation and a strong California.
I think that Texas would be a nation in its own right.
Hawaii would become another Pacific nation similar to Tahiti,Fiji etc.
I suspect that Mexico might do some land grabbing,Arizona,New Mexico maybe and that some northern states,particulary Oregon would opt to join Canada.
Alaska would most likely choose to stay independant,a little like Greenland but with more resources though theres a slim possibility that it might want to go with Canada,totally no chance of wanting to join Russia but the Russians would most likely try to grab it if there weren’t some third party guarantors of its nationhood.
“North” Dakota? Pull the other one, it’s got bells on. No such place. Trihs, the problem with dividing California is “Who gets (stuck with) Bakersfield?”
While the rest of Pennsylvania would go with The New Amish Republic, The State of Greater Philadelphia would annex South Jersey and all or part of Delaware. The Big Apple State would annex the rest of Jersey and possibly part of Connecticut.
We got by okay when we weren’t a state before, so I guess we’d get along just fine now as long as trade agreements were in place. The absence of government employment would be a serious blow to the workforce, but would be made up for by the lack of interference from WDC.
If, through a bizarre series of coincidences, I ended up as Emperor of the New California Republic, one of the very first things I’d be doing is moving the capital to Barstow.
I see all the Midwest and the Plains joining together in an agricultural cartel, sort of an Organization of Food Exporting States. Then, we hold everyone else who enjoys eating hostage. What, we need oil, you say? Hah! Looks like biodiesel development gets ramped up. Who likes corn syrup? Who likes beef? Cheese, anyone? Mwaaahahahaha! You Californians will love that [del]bacon cheeseburger[/del] piece of lettuce you can make with homegrown ingredients*. Oh, look, a writer in the NY Times just used the phrase “flyover country” apparenty without irony. One less semi-load of food for you guys! We’ll be like Russia choking the natural gas supply to Europe.
*Yes, I know CA is a huge dairy producer too, but that kills my fantasy.
ETA: The Vonnegut novel Slapstick has a dystopian future in which the US, depopulated by a plague, devolves into a screwy feudal system. Very strange book.
It think California and Texas (maybe) would have their hands full.
I - Federal Government collapses. Seperate states and regions declare sovreignity.
II- Brief internecine troubles as borders are hashed out.
III - SERIOUS problems in Southern California and Texas, as well as possibly Arizona as MECHA and other Latino seperatists make efforts to force their worldview that Souther California, Souther Texas and other places are actually part of Mexico, or even worse, compirse Aztlan, their fictional Hispanic homeland away from home.
Nah. Step 3 wouldn’t happen. The Aztlan nutsos are a very, very, very small minority in the immigrant community. The overwhelming majority don’t want Mexico having anything to do with their government. Would the Latino community play a major part in the government of Seperatist California? You betcha. But they would be more likely to slam the border shut than embrace a Mexican takeover.
That kind of thing hasn’t worked so well for the Middle East though. I have this image now :
Representative of the Organization of Food Exporting States : “Unless our demands are met, I’m afraid our food imports will have to be diverted elsewhere.”
Representative of the California Imperium : “As an alternative, I propose a Bombs-For-Food program.”
Representative of the Organization of Food Exporting States : “Yes ?” < cautiously >
Representative of the California Imperium : “You give us food, we stop bombing you.”
