Where have all the Statesman and Stateswomen gone

[bhoyo]

Pete:

I’ve only been her 30 years, so I haven’t worked the place out yet : )

Some thoughts for you:
The prevailing strain of political philosophy in the U.S. remains individualism. The prevailing strain in Europe is viewed from here as collectivism.
Americans of every political stripe have a deep distrust of and contempt for government, especially big government. This antipathy goes much deeper than anywhere else I know.
Decades ago, powerful blocs successfully argued that health care is the epitome of big govt, and that only you should make decisions on your own health care – even though we know we spend more and get worse results than everyone else.
These legal things make change challenging: the Electoral College, elections run by the individual states, the separation of powers, the system of checks and balances, billions in donations.
Then there are the illegal things, such as: gerrymandered districts, voter suppression and rampant corruption.
It’s a huge country, so everything I’ve said is a massive generalization. Many millions here are one or more of these: collectivist, pro single-payer health care, idealistic, believers in comprehensive electoral reform.

Having said all that, the country is strong, robust, dynamic and innovative enough to overcome most challenges eventually.

[Mike_S]

Jacinda Ardern was hugely impressive in the wake of the Christchurch massacre, and she talks a good game but she is still unproven on both the domestic and international stages.

Sums it up. Good talker, nice smile, but her leadership on Governace is lacking and our Governemnt is rapidly descending into a train wreck after 9 years of stability. She is more akin to a smiling assasin.

[Pete_the_painter]

I’m sure you’re right and I do like Americans (well most) and no one can doubt that they are strong and robust, however I can’t see why we can’t be smart enough incorporate both systems. it seems that it’s either black or white, left or right. There’s no middle or common ground.

I love my freedom, and like most would fight to defend it but as populations continue to expand unfortunately some “liberties” may suffer.

And I wouldn’t worry to much about generalization, probably this site a most others I sure that 90% of opinions are based on that principal and 5% of the rest on BS.

Thank you for your input.