The World's Best Bad Example
In the best of times, Americans like to call our president by a rather grandiose title: "the leader of the free world." This is a holdover from the 1940s post-war era as well as the dichotomy of the Cold War era which followed it. Back then, we were indeed leading the free world -- in direct opposition to the Soviet Union's leadership of the communist world. Since America had not been directly devastated by the ravages of World War II, our economy bounced right back and we were able to get Europe and Japan back on their feet again with generous policies such as the Marshall Plan. From the 1950s through (arguably) the end of the century, American manufacturing dominated most industries. So our political leader was not just the de jure leader of the United States but, by extension, the de facto leader of the free world as well. But Donald Trump has now left this reputation in tatters. The only superlative left to call ourselves is now "the world's best bad example."
Granted, citizens of other countries in the Western world never fully bought into the whole "leader of the free world" hype. The American president was not, after all, the leader of any European country or indeed any other country anywhere, free or not. The label itself bred a certain degree of disdain and resentment from foreigners who heard it. But even so, it was always undeniable that America was the 800-pound gorilla of countries, whose policies either directly or indirectly impacted lands and peoples far beyond our own shores. Our foreign policy was seen as an umbrella to protect others against the Soviets, and our economy was the envy of just about everyone.
A good way to point this out to foreigners who scoffed at the "leader of the free world" rhetoric was to ask them how much they knew about American politics. The answer, almost always, was "quite a lot." They closely followed our presidential elections and the political struggles between Republicans and Democrats, because they knew that the outcomes would indeed impact their lives in ways both great and small. But few Americans ever knew anything at all about the internal politics of their countries in return -- showing how one-way the relationship truly was. Perhaps a savvy American could name a few political leaders of the major Western countries, but that's about as far as it went -- and even that knowledge was fairly rare among the American populace. To put it more bluntly, we didn't have to care about the politics of Great Britain or Germany or Australia, because no matter what happened there it had virtually zero impact on us at all.
Donald Trump began shredding this perception of leadership from almost the first day he took office. He pulled us out of long-held international groups and agreements, and denigrated those he was forced to continue (like NATO, for instance). This jettisoned decades of American leadership, from both Republican and Democratic presidents alike. Trump didn't care, because to him the world was a zero-sum game: America first, while everyone else could go pound sand. The rest of the world reacted first with horror, then with pity and sadness for how far American leadership had fallen. But now they're reacting in a different way -- by either ignoring us or actively working to chart their own course away from us.
My impetus for writing this article today was twofold. First, today is actually Independence Day (which I explained years ago), even though we won't be celebrating the event until the Fourth of July. And second, the European Union just announced it would be letting visitors back in from other countries -- but only from those countries whose response to the coronavirus pandemic was equally as effective as their own. The United States, notably, did not make this cut. We are still seen by Europe as (to use a rather medieval term) "unclean." They quite understandably don't want us coming in and infecting their own citizens. Which they are smart to do, since the pandemic is still raging out of control here while it has been all but conquered in so many other countries.
The first peak of infections here quickly hit 30,000 new cases diagnosed per day. We got that down to 20,000 with strict lockdowns, but then we decided that we were tired of fighting and just threw caution to the winds and reopened everything back up. We were warned by the experts that this wasn't a smart thing to do, and we not only ignored these experts, some actually denigrated their caution. But it turns out they were right. We just passed the milestone of 50,000 new cases a day, and Dr. Anthony Fauci warned Congress this week that this number could easily soon shoot above 100,000 new cases each day. That is a spectacular and undeniable failure to contain a pandemic. Other countries have not gone through this second spike in infections. Other countries actually bent their curve all the way down. We didn't, and now they aren't letting us in to visit. It's hard to blame them for such preventative measures, really.
Only in America was the pandemic response treated as a partisan issue. Everywhere else (almost without exception) it was treated as a public health emergency which had to be fought by strictly and universally following the recommendations of the epidemiology experts. Not wearing a mask was not some statement of political affiliation, it was absolutely not allowed by anyone (of any political stripe), period. Not wearing a mask wasn't a sign of Republicanism, it was a sign of a sociopath. Also, other countries' economies weren't hit as hard because their unemployment systems actually rose to the challenge. Trump is now celebrating the fact that something like one-fourth of the lost jobs have come back, but in other countries the jobs never disappeared in the first place -- because of intelligent policies that kept people on the payroll with a solid income through the crisis times. Here, this was all (and still is) a gigantic political football, for no real apparent reason.
The rest of the world is watching all of this play out in astonishment and sorrow. America is obviously not leading the free world, because we can't even take care of ourselves anymore. So, sadly, they must institute a travel ban on Americans, because that is the only safe thing for them to do at this point.
American leadership on the world stage has suffered greatly in the past three-and-a-half years, in many ways. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo just tried to get the rest of the world to extend sanctions against Iran, and was politely rebuffed by just about everyone. America's reputation is now so bad worldwide that we are no longer seen as an example to emulate. Donald Trump is not leading the free world, the free world is instead holding its breath and hoping that he'll be chucked out of office in November -- and that he won't do too much more damage in his remaining six months in office. The coronavirus pandemic response is merely the most blatant and glaring symptom of this rapid decline in how the rest of the world sees us. We've quickly gone from being the "shining city on a hill" that everyone admired to being nothing short of the best bad example for how not to do things. And the worse the pandemic gets here (and it can indeed get much worse), sadly, the more this is going to be true.
-- Chris Weigant
Follow Chris on Twitter: @ChrisWeigant
Granted, citizens of other countries in the Western world never fully bought into the whole "leader of the free world" hype.
I did. And, I still do, to a certain extent. But, then again, I still believe in the promise of America, too. :)
A few months will tell whether we can even get there from here.
But few Americans ever knew anything at all about the internal politics of their countries in return -- showing how one-way the relationship truly was.
Well, I never held that against them.
To put it more bluntly, we didn't have to care about the politics of Great Britain or Germany or Australia, because no matter what happened there it had virtually zero impact on us at all.
Indeed.
But, should America ever seek to regain and hold the mantle of global leadership again, the whole notion of 'virtually zero impact' may no longer apply.
Trump is now celebrating the fact that something like one-fourth of the lost jobs have come back, but in other countries the jobs never disappeared in the first place -- because of intelligent policies that kept people on the payroll with a solid income through the crisis times. Here, this was all (and still is) a gigantic political football, for no real apparent reason.
This is so very true.
In Canada, people who were forced to stay home and away from work were paid $2000/month through a program called the Canadian Emergency Response Benefit and employers could apply for a 75% wage subsidy to keep workers on the payroll through the health crisis.
We shut down in the middle of March and I received the first $2000 on April 8th - all through an online Employment Insurance reporting system with direct deposit into my bank account.
Mike Pompeo is a state department joke. Which was anticipated before he took that office.
Happy Independence Day!
And, I mean that sincerely. I'm not trying to be facetious here.
I have read some commentary over the past couple of years, as the president cut the connections between the US and the rest of the developed world, that President Joe Biden will have a heck of a steep hill to climb in getting our former partners to 'trust' the United States again, as they always had.
"Sure, Mr. President Joe. We know you and like you - you know us, you big friendly Senate Foreign Affairs chairman, you - but hey. Can you guarantee your successor won't be Trump part II? Because if you can't, we're once burned twice shy about ever taking a United States international commitment seriously again. Nothing personal, but we're feeling we have to assume the U.S. is not a reliable ally and won't be, going forward."
[7]
"Sure, Mr. President Joe. We know you and like you - you know us, you big friendly Senate Foreign Affairs chairman, you - but hey. Can you guarantee your successor won't be Trump part II? Because if you can't, we're once burned twice shy about ever taking a United States international commitment seriously again. Nothing personal, but we're feeling we have to assume the U.S. is not a reliable ally and won't be, going forward."
How can Biden make that promise? Alas, Trump 2.0 has to be considered a real possibility. If...America forgets about Trump 1.0
John,
All of that may be true, to one degree or another. But, what most if not all of that commentary didn't say is that there is no one better equipped on the planet to lead America at this moment, particularly with respect to foreign relations.
I also know that Biden is fully aware of how unreliable the US has become when it comes to international treaties, agreements and alliances. I have faith that he will be able to handle all of this and set a solid future course.
Department of You Heard it Here First:
Post election, outgoing President Trump will be as disruptive as the Russian Tool he appears to be.
Putin will thence invade the Baltic States. Think about it -- when will Putin get a better opportunity to reacquire Soviet-era territories?
It'll be cold and Der Deutschland and Europe will need Rooskie natural gas, so they'll squawk but they won't stop Putin.
And we may have to drag Trump out of the Whitehouse (I hope it's SDNY doing the dragging haha) so we'll be way too preoccupied to stop Putin either.
" "But even so, it was always undeniable that America was the 800-pound gorilla of countries, whose policies either directly or indirectly impacted lands and peoples far beyond our own shores."
To be reduced to the morbidly obese elephant in the room...
Heads on swivels rarely stop spinning.
LL&P
Knowing Trump, I bet he wouldn't even squawk if his Man Putin invades the Baltics.
So we, America, will neither squawk nor otherwise discomfit Putin.
[11]
"But even so, it was always undeniable that America was the 800-pound gorilla of countries, whose policies either directly or indirectly impacted lands and peoples far beyond our own shores."
To be reduced to the morbidly obese elephant in the room...
Heads on swivels rarely stop spinning
We'll, America surely has an obesity problem. Opioids, alcohol, food...
we're killing ourselves trying to live in this Capitalist Dystopia we've fashioned for ourselves.
But we'll get our act together (see my comment [108] FLC - I think it's one of my best) and economically and militarily we're going to remain the 800 lb gorilla for the next couple of decades.
Heads on swivels rarely stop spinning
I didn't get this part.
Trump has you spinning in every direction.
The local take out is open again... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0kwWeuTq5E
LL&P
Buses are running every lunar cycle tho...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFxOqFRgD8o
LL&P
So, is there a Cockney Urban Dictionary?
[7] John M from Ct. wrote:
"Can you guarantee your successor won't be Trump part II? Because if you can't, we're once burned twice shy about ever taking a United States international commitment seriously again. Nothing personal, but we're feeling we have to assume the U.S. is not a reliable ally and won't be, going forward.""
[8] MtnCaddy wrote:
"How can Biden make that promise? Alas, Trump 2.0 has to be considered a real possibility. If...America forgets about Trump 1.0"
[9] Elizabeth Miller wrote:
"I also know that Biden is fully aware of how unreliable the US has become when it comes to international treaties, agreements and alliances. I have faith that he will be able to handle all of this and set a solid future course."
A lot of this going forward will depend on what happens to the Republican party in general after the November elections.
No matter what President changed at the top, we used to have a consensus between the two parties regarding foreign relations and the Cold War, for example.
That all changed when the Republican party turned themselves into the cult of Trump.
IF the Republicans lose the Senate by a big enough shock, along with Trump being defeated, and are out of majority power for enough election cycles going forward, that would be enough to reassure both domestic and foreign constituents that Trump was more of a one time aberration rather than an example of a continuing trend.
Something that is possible given the Democratic lock on the House, with suburban voter support, and a possible Democratic lock on the Senate, if both Puerto Rico and Washington D.C. were to become states, adding 4 more Democratic senators, for example, under Democratic leadership.
With long term Democratic control of all branches of government, or at least 2 out of 3, a more consistent continuity of policy and of agreements and promises being kept and honored, would be more assured. It would also force the Republican party to reexamine every stance, policy and position they have taken recently.
Very well stated, John!
[17]
Like all living things, accents, phrases, and lingo evolve.
A few years back I might have referred to my kids as 'the dustbin lids, now they are simply known as the 'Dustbins'.
Happy fourth of thingy, my American folk...may all the firecrackers use Trump's arse as a staging area. BYOT...Bring Your Own Taper
LL&P
John M [18]
Well said!
I also think that once the curtain is pulled and the Wizard is fully exposed for what he truly was all of this time, the GOP will have a hard time convincing their base that they can ever be trusted again. I think the FoxNews reality bubble has already popped for much of their base, and as long as Republican politicians continue to defend Trump and act like he has done nothing wrong, the more turned off by the GOP their base will become. Once you realize that you have been played for a fool and had your trust violated, you react with anger anytime you witness them attempting to con those who aren’t woke yet!
I know that was my reaction when I realized that I was being played by the GOP. Being taken advantage of by the GOP resulted in me becoming active in politics to combat the dishonesty I experienced. I think that is how a lot of folks get involved.
[20]
Happy fourth of thingy, my American folk...may all the firecrackers use Trump's arse as a staging area. BYOT...Bring Your Own Taper
Why thank you, Mr. Canuck. We Yankees will straighten things out in November. Trump & coronavirus hath awakened the masses.
[21]
I know that was my reaction when I realized that I was being played by the GOP. Being taken advantage of by the GOP resulted in me becoming active in politics to combat the dishonesty I experienced. I think that is how a lot of folks get involved.
Hey Listen, did you vote for Trump? You sound like a disgruntled Republican voter.
Ah... back in form, Brother Don.
I ... concur. :)
From the previous days comments #85 et. al. It is clear to me and many others that Michale is not engaging this forum in good faith, he is not at all interested in exploring the pros and cons of what Chris writes nor of the various discussions in the comments section. He is only interested in playing some sort of game in which he is both referee and judge and he always "wins". The irony is that if this were a real sanctioned debate by a debating society he would disqualify himself in two seconds because of his inability (yes inability) to actually form a reasoned argument. His reliance on sophistry is not an occasional misstep it is his very raison d'etre. Thousands of times folks here have urged him to change his ways. People have gone to great lengths to show him how to engage in a reasoned debate. It is obvious that he is simply unable to do so. What I do not understand is why folks continue to play with him and then rail because he behaves the way he always has. As I pointed out before it is kinda like poking a rattlesnake and expecting it to do something different. I suggest there are two ways to deal with this snake. One would be to petition Chris to 86 him from the site. The other would be to ignore him, never respond to his rattles and eventually he will sulk off and look for another victim to bit. For a very long time now the vast majority of comments have been in response to some outrage he has committed complete with name calling etc. Come on folks, stop playing his game he will never change because he can't.
our country used to stand for something, like mom and apple pie. now pie can't get a fair shake from either big cake party. if you eat cake then you're part of the problem.
I ... concur with that, too!
SF Bear,
Take it easy.
Have a great Fourth of July and, leave the past in the past. Time to concentrate on the future!
Yours was some darn good advice, though. :)
Also, be sure to stop by for the CW Sunday Music Festival and Dance Party and bring your favourite tunes.
While the tunes can be as political as you like, the discourse can most decidedly not. Heh.
I suggest there are two ways to deal with this snake. One would be to petition Chris to 86 him from the site.
Well, just to be clear and for the record, I do NOT concur with that.
@sfbear,
rattlesnake? really? that's a very extreme analogy to use on a guy just because he likes to post fallacious arguments on a political blog. even those of us who get frustrated by m's shtick generally have to concede that it is entertaining and helps drive real discussion. so who really cares whether or not he qualifies for official troll status? i consider his contribution to be positive on the whole.
And, finally, with Michale, you generally get back what you give. If that entails ignoring him, then, so be it. That is entirely up to everyone here and would be a better course of action than what often happens.
It takes a lot more than two to tango around here, after all ...
,rattlesnake? really? that's a very extreme analogy to use on a guy just because he likes to post fallacious arguments on a political blog. even those of us who get frustrated by m's shtick generally have to concede that it is entertaining and helps drive real discussion. so who really cares whether or not he qualifies for official troll status? i consider his contribution to be positive on the whole.
Ditto. Extremely nicely put, Joshua!
SF Bear,
Paragraphs are a good thing; makes it easier on older eyes, you know. :)
" As I pointed out before it is kinda like poking a rattlesnake and expecting it to do something different. I suggest there are two ways to deal with this snake. One would be to petition Chris to 86 him from the site. The other would be to ignore him, never respond to his rattles and eventually he will sulk off and look for another victim to..."
There's lots wrong here.
1. Let me know how that petition goes...lol
2. eventually(,)
3. This 'Snake' takes as well as he receives.
4. Poking and provoking have a thin line between them.
Overthinking Michale earns him an all-expenses-paid fortnight in your noggin.
LL&P
[32] nypoet22 wrote:
@sfbear,
rattlesnake? really? that's a very extreme analogy to use on a guy just because he likes to post fallacious arguments on a political blog. even those of us who get frustrated by m's shtick generally have to concede that it is entertaining and helps drive real discussion. so who really cares whether or not he qualifies for official troll status? i consider his contribution to be positive on the whole
I dunno.
Yes, Michale is smarter than the average troll. And, sometimes, he is entertaining. I wouldn't say he so much "drives the conversation" but rather that he'll escalate his outrageousness until he pisses off somebody like me, and I sally forth.
But, I do not think Michale' is serious about persuading anyone with the force of his arguments. I therefore don't think he's reachable, and I think that there's too much "bully" in this poor devil that I'd rather not have to scroll god-damned 8,000 words to get to a sentient comment. And deal with the "Democrats want to eat kittens" crap. If'n we don't vote him off the island then we collectively should simply not feed the troll.
Let Michale' go troll HuffPo, as they appear to be of a sufficient juvenile level that he'll fit right in.
No, Elizabeth, this is NOT a public forum, and the 1st Amendment addresses only governmental suppression of Free Speech.
This is Chris Weigant's personal playground, and he is God.
I can deal with Michale'"Whataboutism" and his dodging addressing either CW's blog or my refuting his comments, but I cannot deal with his fucking poison. And his acres of Fox News quotes in bold.
So put me squarely into the Death to Michale'. I am done trying to deal with this frightened little boy.
I hope that doesn't mean that you won't come and join us for the CW Sunday Music Festival and Dance Party ... it will be fun!
JTC
20
Happy fourth of thingy, my American folk...may all the firecrackers use Trump's arse as a staging area.
Could not help but notice that sounded an awful lot like Trump's "powerful light" idea to treat COVID-19:
*
BYOT...Bring Your Own Taper
Let's light this candle. :)
Don Harris
24
The answer is no because there are no guarantees.
Your continual posting of this monomania spew long after you were asked multiple times not to do it, and I would wager you'll eventually find out that there absolutely is such a thing as a guarantee.
Don,
Don't listen to her. :)
The last thing this place needs is more mean-spiritedness.
I need some Dramamine. Up is down in this hall of mirrors. Wake up! It's 1984.
You've been reading too much Bret Stephens. :)
Everything hinges on 03 November 2020 - don't frak it up!
Elizabeth Miller
41|42
Don't listen to her. :)
So you don't think the author will eventually throw the red card on Don if he doesn't stop with the monomania he has been repeatedly asked by CW to stop? I believed CW. Maybe you didn't, but it's patently obvious that Don didn't.
The last thing this place needs is more mean-spiritedness.
Oh, I most vehemently disagree in your judgment and characterization of my opinion and equally disagree with your statement quoted above. The "last thing this place needs" is you on your high horse and falsely claiming that other posters are being "mean-spirited" in the similar manner as your past frequent whining about another poster [miss you Paula] and your judgment that her opinion lacked "common decency." The other "last thing this place needs" is the repetitive trolling and any encouragement thereof.
Don said "there are no guarantees," and I simply explained to him my unequivocal belief in them and how he is quite likely to eventually learn of their existence if he keeps prattling on and on in ways CW has asked him not to do.
Please choose another poster at random and encourage someone else on the board not to listen to their opinion. I would be interested to see that play out in real time. *shakes head*
Michale has been here from the beginning. He came over from the Huffington post comments. He has always been like this but I think he is just getting old. He is in mental decline which is not in anyway liner. Some days sharp as a tack, some days not so much. He has his array of rhetorical weapons but as time goes on, the ones that were fun to argue with, paragraphs, google searches to back up arguements, a subset of logic and even his favorite logical fallacies have fallen to the wayside. He seems to be left with posting walls of bold text and being an arrogant prick, which is definitely not so interesting. It's probably why CW's admonishment hit him so hard, it took away one of his last remaining weapons.
I think Michale really does not care about politics. He wants to argue. He has a few safe subjects, pro-police, 2nd amendment, pro-military, anti-climate change that will always cause an argument with the more liberal minded. Trump is ideal. Being pro-Trump will always drum up an argument, but as time goes on and Trump becomes more and more unhinged, Michale has painted himself into a rhetorical corner that he can not get out of, so he lashes out. Which has not been pretty...
Personally I don't mind the posting of links to the right wing talking points, as long as it's in his old style with proper linking. As of late links to content have been few in far between and the bold walls longer and longer with more of them. If he limited his posts to CW's recommendations, all would be fine as far as I'm concerned. I'm curious if he comes back. His final posts sound like he intends not to unless Trump wins, but he is an addict and has taken his ball off in a huff many times in the past only to come back when he finds the rest of the net is not as interesting...
131,549 Americans dead from Coronavirus and counting...
Regarding playing with Michale. I guess I do not understand the point in engaging with him. It does not illuminate the discussion in any way because any and everything he says is simply to further his game of winning. It always degenerates into name calling and mind numbing nonsense. To me it is obvious he is operating in bad faith and not seeking to have a rational discussion. So why keep attempting to have a reasoned argument with him, what do you hope to accomplish?