News aside, surely you can see how the game is currently being dominated by the US and how Europe understands the current status - where the US is objectively a political antagoniser - as huge liability with potentially extreme consequences?
> those who have never been here or taken the time to interact with an American
I think there's a misunderstanding at play here; in the vast majority of cases Europeans see Americans as reliable, cool-headed, friendly people. What they take issue with is the US' imperialist, heavy-handed, ombelico-del-mondo approach.
> He further argues that the failure to diagnose the trend has led to a degradation in political discourse since left and right leaning actors blame the policies of "the other side" and "what I like to call the 'honest middle' cannot be heard above the din."
I disagree, there's no blaming on the other side since just one side has really been in charge and that side is comprised of both Dems & Republicans. Whilst I can understand that in the US some would deem Dems as a left-leaning actor - it has never been that. In effect, the US has always had a right-leaning government, oscillating further or closer from the centre.
Agree with the last point. Especially when you look at it from a global perspective. It reminds of a discussion that in a lot of Western European countries, the Democratic Party would be considered on the right.
I suggest that we've become accustomed to let the specialists to define and accaparate too much of the public realm of wellbeing, common good, justice etc. and too little in the hands of the subjects of these fields.
Believe me, it amazes many of us Europeans too. We have a real life example of how those policies will eventually play out (and tens of years of research that confirm the immense disbenefits of such an approach), and yet here we are.
Problem is that there's also a "real life example of how those policies will eventually play out (and tens of years of research that confirm the immense [benefits to the billionaires] of such an approach)". Just as in the US, the billionaires wield enormous influence. Maybe not quite as much, but pretty close. So as long as there are benefits to the wealthy of these policies, I think the Europeans will pursue them. (At least until the French start doing that thing that the French do when things get too unfair in this regard. And then the cycle will start all over again.)
The American billionaire class absolutely controls Europe, and American politics dictates European policy. There is the illusion of European ascendance right now because the American soft power is being channeled through Europe because the faction of the US government (that still controls the majority of soft power) is out of power politically, so they project their values (and funnel their money) through Europeans.
When a Democrat returns to power in the USA, nobody will care what European vassal governments and corporations say or do anymore.
American projection through Europe has made Europe weaker and more subservient than ever.
