We hear ad nausea from the far right and Christofascist/Tea Party elements in the GOP about "American exceptionalism." Under this myth, America can do no wrong and always is better than foreign nations - event those that have existed for far, far longer than America. Yes, America has done some great things. But it also has a very ugly history: genocide against native Americans, slavery being legally sanctioned for more than a third of its history, government overthrows overseas, the stealing of Hawaii, rampant poverty for far too many citizens, and millions of Americans. These facts are all conveniently overlooked by the proponents of American exceptionalism. Slate has a piece that looks at how the American news media would look at other countries under going such frightening signs of political dysfunction. Here are highlights:
WASHINGTON, United States—The typical signs of state failure aren’t evident on the streets of this sleepy capital city. Beret-wearing colonels have not yet taken to the airwaves to declare martial law. Money-changers are not yet buying stacks of useless greenbacks on the street.
But the pleasant autumn weather disguises a government teetering on the brink. Because, at midnight Monday night, the government of this intensely proud and nationalistic people will shut down, a drastic sign of political dysfunction in this moribund republic.The capital’s rival clans find themselves at an impasse, unable to agree on a measure that will allow the American state to carry out its most basic functions.
While the country’s most recent elections were generally considered to be free and fair (despite threats against international observers), the current crisis has raised questions in the international community about the regime’s ability to govern this complex nation of 300 million people, not to mention its vast stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction.
Americans themselves are starting to ask difficult questions as well. As this correspondent’s cab driver put it, while driving down the poorly maintained roads that lead from the airport, “Do these guys have any idea what they’re doing to the country?”
Yep the American exceptionalism crowd would be eviscerating a foreign country that acted so irresponsibly. Would that they would looking a mirror. Of course, they won't and it is unclear how long the governemnt will grind to a halt thanks to the reality defying lunatics in the GOP. Lunatics who claim to be "doing the will of the American people" despite all the evidence that the people oppose what these lunatics have done. Here are highlights from The Daily Beast on disapproval of GOP conduct:
The GOP “suicide caucus”, led by proud “wacko bird” Sen. Ted Cruz, was, not surprisingly, spawned from a faulty premise.
Their kamikaze campaign to defund President Obama’s signature legislative achievement, the Affordable Care Act, ridiculously rests on the idea that they are reflecting “the will of the American people.” It’s true that Obamacare is not the most popular government program in history. But hardly anyone outside this pestiferous little posse supports defunding the law, especially at the cost of a government shutdown.
In a widely touted USA Today/Pew Research survey, 53 percent of Americans expressed disapproval of Obamacare. But of those 53 percent, just 23 percent said they wanted Republicans to do what they could to kill the health-care law. A Kaiser Family Foundation poll asked, “Would you say you approve or disapprove of cutting off funding as a way to stop some or all of the law from being put into place?” Defunding was opposed 56-37. When the possibility of a government shutdown was factored in, there was even less support. In the CNBC All-America Economic Survey, opposition to defunding under those circumstances was 59-19.On what planet is 19 percent of the population the expression of the will of the American people?
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