I'm originally from Nicaragua...so yes, I have seen all sorts of crazy shit go down politically. Ive now lived in Costa Rica for more than 30 years which usually has a more boring political landscape, though that's also changed in the last ten years (we shifted from a two party pendulum to a multi-party free for all). We have our own problems to solve...and to be honest we can't afford the luxury of laughing at the US. We are in your orbit of influence...last thing we want to do is piss off an incoming US President. There's a saying down here "When the US sneezes, Central America catches a cold."
Laughingstock might be a tad strong; most countries have times in their history that bewilder outsiders. I think in some circles foreigners perceive Americans as crass....Trump is just a natural extension of that personality and thus not necessarily a surprise. What confounds many foreigners I've talked to (not just from CR), is that this is the best you can do from a candidate perspective? So many talented, brilliant people in the US but we ended up with a contest with two 70 year olds past their prime. I'm not sure foreigners (aside from some euros) understand the implications of a second Trump term, or better said what the worst scenario under Trump could look like.
America at its best can be an inspiration for countries around the world. I'm a glass half full type of guy, so I want to keep the faith that America can still be capable of global leadership. I much prefer to live in a world where Western type values are the ideal, as opposed to say a world dominated by say China. These four years will be a challenge; Trump has made it abundantly clear that he puts America First, global consequences be damned. I'm also concerned about the future of democracy...to me that was the most damaging effect of Trump's first term (the damage he has done in continually questioning the validity of the 2020 election has done substantial damage) . If the beacon of democracy takes a turn towards tribalism, what hope do the rest of us have?
1. By CR, I meant you, not the country. Are you laughing at us?
2. Let me offer one revision. Trump has made it abundantly clear that he puts Trump First, Second and all the way through to Last. But from your perspective that doesn't make all that much difference. Bad for you either way.
3. I think what those foreigners don't understand -- and I didn't understand until this election -- is that the GOP doesn't hold its nose in the voting booth. Trump is the guy they want.
You know a ton about the US, but I'm not sure if you know details like the analogy I'm about to use. If you do, it's not an insult. I just want to make sure we're all on the same page. I talk about drained-pool politics, and the reference there was to the mass closing of public swimming pools all over the South after integration. When courts ordered the pools to be open to everybody, Southerners responded by closing and filling in the pools. They preferred to deprive themselves of something nice, because depriving black people of it was more appealing.
Trump is drained-pool politics. His voters would prefer to burn the country down than share it. That these same people regard Sherman as a villain when they are doing the same thing -- minus the military considerations and the just retribution aspect of it all -- is simply what they do.
4. In other words, while you can wonder how the Dems ended up with Biden as the best standard bearer, the question about Trump is a bit different. We should be asking how so many Americans have come to the point of self-immolation. And the answer is a combination of repressed toxic racism and hatred of others, right-wing media disinformation, and gerrymandering.
We're the only country I know of that has anything like the Senate -- i.e. a division of the country in a way that gives some of its citizens far more voting power than others, based solely on their residence. We're definitely the only one that uses an Electoral College. In most democracies, where there are no "safe states," everyone's vote matters. Not so in America.
So what this means is that the radical ideas can percolate and then be absorbed by the mainstream because in so many places, there is no force pulling anyone to the center. The best way to ensure a long career in Congress for a GOP member is to make sure nobody can attack you from the right-flank. And thus do we get MTG.
It also means that we have our political decisions made by the least informed people, who are often the least informed because they aren't very intelligent. I've often expressed my view that we value "intelligence" too highly (in this country at least; maybe globally too), by which I mean we give it a social status that it doesn't deserve. The flip side, of course, is that people desperately try to avoid the "stupid" label because it's seen as so pejorative. And that's a problem because half the country is, by definition, below average intelligence. And that's fine. They can't help it. They should be respected. But it's a bad idea for them to be making critical decisions for the country, which is what we have now.
