'I feel sorry for Americans': A baffled world watches the U.S.

[EleanorR]

Republicans have turned the US into a pitiable laughingstock. Biden will restore what's been lost when he's in office.

BANGKOK – Myanmar is a poor country struggling with open ethnic warfare and a coronavirus outbreak that could overload its broken hospitals. That hasn’t stopped its politicians from commiserating with a country they think has lost its way.

“I feel sorry for Americans,” said Myint Oo, a member of Parliament in Myanmar. “But we can’t help the U.S. because we are a very small country.”

The same sentiment prevails in Canada, where two out of three people live within about 100 kilometers of the U.S. border.

“Personally, it’s like watching the decline of the Roman Empire,” said Mike Bradley, the mayor of Sarnia, Ontario, an industrial city on the border with Michigan, where locals used to venture for lunch.

Amid the pandemic and in the run-up to the presidential election, much of the world is watching the United States with a mix of shock, chagrin and, most of all, bafflement.

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/09/26/world/americans-us-coronavirus-race-donald-trump

[Pacifist Patriot]

1. A friend of mine in England sent me a world map she saw recently.

Instead of our country labeled "USA," it was labeled "WTF." Her comment in the text was, "this is pretty much how we see you lot these days."

Of course I gave her stick about Brexit and BoJo, which she agreed with completely. But yes, this doesn't surprise me at all. I have contacts on almost every continent, and they are unanimous in their "WTF?" stance on the US these days.

[AlexSFCA]

4. BoJo is a saint compared to trump and brexiteers are angels compared to magats

[tenderfoot]

6. Uh no, they're one in the same

eom

[Myrddin]

10. True n/t

[llashram]

2. don't forget with many, laughter

[uriel1972]

3. I feel sorry for the past four years...

The world has watched in horror, but I have hope as well as I know you DU and that there are more of you in tje heart of The USA than them.

I trust in you to find your strength in these times and those ahead.

[GoCubsGo]

5. I hope they're taking notes, as this is likely their future, as well.

Peruse any Canadian media comments section, and you'll see they have their own problems with far-right nutjobs. It's not much different in Europe, either.

[canetoad]

13. I've been reluctant to engage in this topic

But no. You are wrong. This is not the future of countries with a parliamentary government.

The US has three branches of government, with the Executive holding a third of all power. Under the command or whim of one person.That is too much power for one person, but it's baked into your system.

Hell, in a parliamentary democracy, Trump would never have survived pre-selection. If, by chance, he was elected to a seat, his fellow parliamentarian party members could choose to vote him leader, relegate him to the back benches or censure him and expel him from the party. THAT is having checks and balances.

Ok, so you survive Trump and Joe is elected to clean up his shit. It will happen again.

[Johnny2X2X]

7. My Canadian friends are terrified.

They constantly reach out to me for comfort and I give them none.

[cwydro]

8. I feel sorry for us too.

Looking forward to seeing the buffoon kicked out by an overwhelming vote.

[Bayard]

9. The past 4 years

Have been such an embarrassment on the world stage. The worst is when they say--how did you put a guy like that in office? The same way I feel when people ask that about Kentucky and McConnell.

Do you say--we were duped? Then we admit we were stupid. Putting him in again? Say goodbye to any respect we might have recovered.

[UCmeNdc]

11. I am amazed at how easily Trump took over the American political system.

He even seemed to penetrate the FBI, CIA, and NSA.

Trump installed his people everywhere in the highest levels of the US government.

[tavernier]

14. And considering he is a moron (for all intents and purposes)

he was carefully coached. We thought it was Putin, but I’m beginning to suspect that the Grand Old Party are mostly responsible for the planned dissolution of the United States of America.

[smirkymonkey]

12. I have friends in Ireland who are watching in horror as we self-destruct.

Some who have lived here in the past thought they might like to live here again, but now are completely scared off. They don't even want to visit anymore.

They used to love it here, but they are just shocked at what has happened to us in such a short period of time. Now, I want to live where they are.