I honestly don't think any of that optimism is remotely warranted. And Americans are certainly very, very disconnected from the actual political sausage factor

I honestly don't think any of that optimism is remotely warranted. And Americans are certainly very, very disconnected from the actual political sausage factory, thanks to corrupt media and corrupt law - why would you give them a pass here? I'm shocked that so many Americans are so blind to so much rot. You can smell it in the air. Even the Democrats are seemingly fine with executive orders, the Patriot Act, black sites, extrajudicial killings of American and other friendly nations citizens, smearing and torturing whistleblowers like Assange and Donziger. "On a global stage", America is seen as the number one threat to democracy and world peace, and has consistently been seen as such since Afghanistan. It's wild that Americans don't ever seem to grasp how they are seen abroad.