How to Save America: Individualism or Centripetal Forces

I don't make a lot of bold claims, but there is one #hottake that I think about more and more. I believe that, within my lifetime, American democracy as we know it will come to an end.

I don't think our government will dissolve and I don't see civil war in our future either. I'm thinking of something closer to secession. Or, as David French wrote, a divorce.

There are too many forces pulling us apart and too few binding us to one another. I can only think of two solutions for keeping this country together.

I. Massive decentralization of our national government and returning of more power to the states (i.e. federalism). If you believe in a public option for healthcare, your state can tax its citizens and start one up. But you're not going to force people in other states to have their own if they vote against it.

If you think bakers shouldn't have to make cakes for gay weddings, you pass legislation protecting that right. If you want all employers to cover their employees birth control, go for it. Just keep it at the state level.

or

II. A return to a nation-wide belief in an American civil religion.

The problem with multiculturalism is that, while it keeps individual groups together, it does nothing to bind these cultures into the larger tapestry of American life. An American civil religion means we would all have to buy into certain values that our country represents, even as we retain our unique and specific cultural identities.

This option would be less likely to happen than the first option, a libertarian's dream, but here are some additional thoughts on it anyway:

• I used the word "return" but it would only work if we took what we had and modernized it, rather than expecting people to revert back to something from the past. Nostalgia feels nice but culture always moves forward. 
• This new American civil religion would have to incorporate ideas from the right and the left. We would have to decide on what we agree upon and what we agree to disagree upon. Right now, our Venn Diagram does not overlap at all. 
• We would derive this new civil religion from Enlightenment values as well as our Constitution, Bill of Rights, and Declaration of Independence. It would have to somehow acknowledge our stained history w/r/t slavery and Native American genocide, rather than brushing these things under the carpet. More importantly, it would have to incorporate modern concepts like multiculturalism, privilege, and intersectionality.
• Once agreed upon, this civic religion would be taught in all schools, public and private. It would be required for all immigrants to agree to before becoming U.S. citizens.
• If necessary, it could spawn a new national anthem. Football players kneeling during the national anthem would have had far less support 50 years ago because the song meant so much to so many. That is no longer the case, which means we need a new set of values to get behind, something we all believe in. Something we would collectively get upset about if one of our citizens disrespected. We should celebrate and honor the ideals that make the country great while acknowledging our sins and pledging not to repeat them. Imagine social justice warriors and MAGA supporters being fervently enraged over someone disrespecting the same American ideal. What would that even look like?