The biggie, of course, is that US exceptionalism is pushing the US down the wrong track. That will be the economic and probably military downfall of the US and will likely occur within the next 5-10 years.
(You may call me 'Cassandra'.)
(You may call me 'Cassandra'.)
The US is exceptional in almost every way – morally, technologically, economically, politically.
While the US makes mistakes, and when it does its power means the consequences of those mistakes can be extreme, it's still overwhelmingly a force for good in a world that's becoming increasingly autocratic.
Don't let critics put you down. The world needs you, and I for one am glad America exists.
The two people who hold the record for most votes received in a US presidential election¹ are Joe Biden in first and Donald Trump in second. They set those records in the same election, which was the last one.
Donald Trump has said he wants to be a dictator, and plenty of his supporters have said on tape that they want that outcome.
Did you also miss the worldwide ripple effect after Trump won the first time where the autocrats came out of the woodwork and start winning elections and gaining more power in government in several countries?
¹ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_presiden...
Then he did a piss poor job of that considering he's not the president anymore.
2. It’s irrelevant to the point whether he can do it or not.
Morally: Yes. The US has attacked other countries more than any other one has.
Technologically: The US used to be great but in the Space Race which was the US's technological zenith, it is now lagging far behind. It had to buy Russian rocket engines. For ten years or so, it couldn't put a man into orbit. After inventing solid-state, it can't manufacture the most-advanced semiconductor chips any more, China does that.
Economically: What's to say? A country with a Debt of 35-odd trillion dollars is not doing well economically.
Politically: When continuous warfare and lawfare between all the US elites is destroying US political stability, the US is certainly Politically Exceptional and not in a good way. Just the fact that the next US election candidates are Trump and Biden shows that. Surely there are better candidates available out of 350 million people, than those two.
As a European it makes me sad to read this.
As a non-European, but somebody who was proud to be "almost-French" while living in France for several years, it makes me sad to see that Europe, which could have been a superpower in its own right seems to take delight in putting another country's interests before its own, especially by killing the European economy, while watching that economy and political freedom disappearing from under its nose, and doing nothing to reverse that trend. Very sad.
Also, if you believe what you say, move to China. Stop hiding in the comforts of a democratic country while wishing free countries to fall
Many people wrongly think that democracy is an inevitable result of capitalism, but if that's true then there is nothing extra you have to do to remain democratic other than participate in capitalism. If freedom is an inevitable result of being an American, then there is nothing you have to do to be free as long as you are American. If peace between two countries is an inevitable result of both countries "having a McDonalds", there is nothing extra you need to do to achieve peace except trade.
If you want freedom, peace, or governance that represents you, you can't just be something, you actually have to hold beliefs and conduct yourself in a way conducive to those outcomes.
You will love this video (12m): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eghl19elKk8
(edited to make some statements more correct)
It is not wrong to think this, it is true by definition.
OTOH, it is very wrong to think “democracy is an inevitable result of capitalism”. Democracy is in fundamental conflict with capitalism; their co-existence is fundamentally unstable.
Pure Capitalism is as bad as pure Communism.
Maybe another way for Americans to consider Socialism is that Socialism is "Capitalism with Compassion".