Summary

The article expresses concern over the state of American politics and democracy, particularly in light of foreign interference and the perceived incompetence of leadership.

Abstract

The author, an Australian, reflects on the inappropriateness of foreign interference in American elections, specifically the 2016 presidential race, and the implications for American democracy. The piece criticizes the alleged collusion between then-candidate Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, suggesting that Trump's lack of experience and divisive policies have weakened traditional Western alliances and governance. The article also touches on the potential risks to global peace and prosperity due to America's perceived leadership crisis, drawing historical parallels to other periods of poor governance. It concludes with a plea for Americans to elect more competent leaders in the future.

Opinions

The author believes that foreign interference in elections, as seen with Russia's involvement in the 2016 U.S. elections, undermines the democratic process and the sovereignty of the American people.
The author is critical of Donald Trump's presidency, viewing it as characterized by chaos, scandal, and a lack of effective national direction.
Trump's foreign policy is seen as overly friendly towards authoritarian leaders and detrimental to longstanding alliances like NATO.
The article suggests that Trump's inexperience in public service and his tendency to ignore expert advice pose significant risks to global security and effective governance.
There is a sense of historical precedent for poor leadership, with the author drawing comparisons to past figures like Hitler and Jefferson Davis, but also an optimistic call for Americans to strive for better leadership in future elections.

America is a Joke With No Punchline

Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right

As an Australian, it is not my place to urge that Americans vote one way or another. I honestly don’t follow American party politics. Hell, we’ve two big parties here, squaring off at each other and I genuinely don’t care for either leader. They are about as exciting and competent as each other. That is, not much.

Interfering in the elections of another nation is wrong. That’s a subversion of democracy, which is meant to be the expression of free will of the people. Not the parties, not the government, not some third party, and definitely not the government of another nation. Democracy is the voice of the people.

So the news that Russia interfered in the American 2016 elections wasn’t something I could be happy about. I have far too much respect for my many American friends to cheer on Vladimir Putin undermining their free expression of sovereignty. If “we the people” means anything, it means American people, not Russian oligarchs.

“No collusion!”, the duchess cried

Whether or not Don Trump conspired with Vladimir Putin is beside the point. I think both men made it very plain that they were happy for Putin to put his weight behind Trump.

From Trump’s point of view, he got an extra boost, which he badly needed. He lost the popular vote badly, and in the end, his election depended on 78 000 votes in three counties. Whether the polling data Trump was passing to the Russians, combined with their own sources through Facebook and elsewhere was that specific is not a question I can answer.

From Putin’s point of view, he got a president who wasn’t actively opposed to Russian expansion as Hillary Clinton clearly was. More to the point, he got a president with no previous experience in public service, who actively supported division and chaos and made it clear — when he derided the conclusion of America’s own intelligence agencies that Russia had interfered in the election — that he considered his own uninformed opinions better than the vast resources available to the government.

What’s better than having your traditional enemy run by an imbecile?

“We’re not disorganised! Just flexible.”

I think the chaos and scandal of Trump’s administration speaks for itself. Trump has been instrumental in weakening the traditional alliances of the West; his continued attacks on NATO, in particular, must appal any student of modern history. His foreign policy seems to be based on seeking the approval of the world’s most brutal dictators.

His insistence on pushing nonsensical policy positions — spending billions of dollars on a border policy even the Republicans in Congress cannot support is a prime example — is further evidence of the ineptness of Trump’s government. It is an administration without clear guidance, run by incompetents, and deviating wildly from any prudent or secure precedents. He makes even George W Bush’s administration and its disastrous Iraq war look like a picture of probity and efficiency.

Whether Trump and Putin worked together is immaterial. The American people got a government incapable of the wise and effective national direction a nuclear superpower deserves.

And the world’s peace and prosperity is put at risk. As a species, we face grave dangers. Having America run by someone who acts like a clown and ignores his own experts on crucial matters gives me no confidence.

Then again, I guess there were a lot of Germans who thought Hitler was a great guy. Half of America backed Jefferson Davis. The history of the world is full of incompetents and dictators making life hard for everyone else. Why should my years on this planet be any different?

And if America is happy with a President who swore on a Bible to uphold the Constitution, when he has not read either document, then as an Australian, all I can say is hey, do better next time. Don’t elect another clown, okay?

Britni

More on how to handle clowns:

The Ultimate Anti-Trump Textbook

Factfulness by Hans Rosling; this book made me see the world in a startling new way.

medium.com

Britni Pepper writes for Kindle Direct Publishing. She runs a blog where she reviews erotica, and rambles on about this and that. She may be reached on Twitter and Facebook.