Members of the younger generation (myself included) have little experience with administrations who demonstrate their fealty to the abstract ideals of the USA.

Members of the younger generation (myself included) have little experience with administrations who demonstrate their fealty to the abstract ideals of the USA. We have, with few exceptions, not been led by people who have the US populace -- in contrast to its economy and hegemony -- at the forefront of their minds. NAFTA, and globalization more broadly, and its effects has progressed to the point where the promises of prosperity in the age of unfettered trade should have shown some signs of success at the personal level by now -- and yet, here we are. We see and hear about other parts of the world which are harmed by these policies. The authorities on the matter, however, explain it away by pointing at GDP growth curves. But these great results aren't reflected in our lives: burdened by debt and historically low net worths, we've lost faith in those who came before us who keep telling us it's all part of the game. Not so if we were born 70 years ago. To a large extent, I'd say that this has resulted in a cynical and rather extreme position of "actions speak louder than words". Those who represent the USA, being elected officials in keeping with the mythos of the modern representative democracy, are doing a poor job of showing their decency, if there is any hidden inside to begin with. The notable exception is of course Bernie Sanders, who, even if somewhat ineffective during his time in office, was and is steadfast, honest, and genuinely caring about the people individually and as a whole. He demonstrates his alignment with the people's needs far more than anyone else in the political field today, even as hamstrung as he was, aside from maybe Elizabeth Warren. The rest are opportunists, lying through their teeth and brushing off serious blemishes on their record to their own detriment. See: Bernie's policy platforms 4 years ago and how much is reflected in nearly all candidates' platforms today. We're pretty peeved that this blatant deceit is lost on the older generations. From our (my) perspective, the USA has always been shoddy and the people haven't cared about grave injustices as long as their lot in life is stable. Only a few shining stars have risen in those 250-ish years that have made any real progress on ethical issues.