The union is in danger

We were talking with friends who are rather optimistic about the state of affairs in the USA.. Reason to send them this message:

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We did not delve too much into current politics. We wouldn’t have been able tell each other anything new. We all read Bernie Sanders, Robert Reich, Paul Krugman. My assessment is more pessimistic than yours. Besides these three columnists, two books lead to my pessimism: Jill Lepore’s “These truths …” and Kurt Anderson’s “Fantasyland”. Both argue that denial, mendacity, obfuscation is an essential feature of America’s power.

Five factors form the basis of America’s success and dominance :

• Enormous size and abundance of natural resources.

• A constitution that gives priority to freedom above equality and cohesion

• A continuous stream of immigrants injects competence and energy.

• Genocide of native Americans provided the immigrants ‘Lebensraum’

• Wealth accrued by slavery continues to pay dividend

Together, these factors provide an inexhaustible,self-reinforcing source of energy and innovation. Less visible and equally important is a delusional degree of optimism and self-righteousness. Delusional optimism facilitates progress Steve Jobs built the most successful company ever. Trump, the master of hyperbole, won the presidency in 2016. But conditions are changing. Ascendancy of developing nations (China, India, …) limits American growth. Frustration of the American Dream creates resentment. Trumpians exploit the resentment and accuse ‘the elite’ of stealing the dream..

In 1941 isolationists prevented Roosevelt from entering the war in Europe. Hitler ended the impasse by declaring war against the USA. That unleashed the power and dedication of the USA. A few months later the USA produced almost daily hundreds of tanks and airplanes. Now, eighty years later a delusional demagogue is one of us. Our choice is similar to Germany’s choice ninety years ago. So far, we have been lucky. Trump has been less effective than Hitler in manipulating elections. Some say that our system of checks and balances is more robust. I say, we barely escaped. Populism and resentment might still prevail.

The USA brought freedom to Europe. Will Biden’s recent climate plan create cohesion and unleash similar energy? Probably not.

August 13. 2022