Thread by @maxbergmann

Missing in discussion of America’s global decline is US governenance. Yes China’s rise, Iraq all matter. But so does governance. And the far right has dominated one of America’s two parties for the past 25 years. We’re doing it to ourselves. 1/
ft.com/content/2e8c8f…

Since the Gingrich revolution in 1994, the GOP has been a force for ideological extremism. They declared war on the US govt. 2/

We tend to focus on excessively on the President. But congress controls the budget. And the GOP has had total control of congress for 18 of the past 25 years. And at least one branch for 21 of 25 years.

We are seeing the impact of their efforts to gut govt. 3/

In the 90s, as the US became global hegemon and almost every global issue sought American attention, Jessie Helms led an effort to gut the State Department and US diplomacy. 4/

The anti-govt dogma of the GOP dramatically shrunk the ambition of the US govt. Long term problems - growing inequality, loss of social mobility, exploding prison populations, etc, etc, were never addressed. 5/

The Bush administration had total control of congress and an incredible mandate after 9-11 and did tax cuts, a catastrophic war, and squandered an outpouring of global support. The Iraq and the response to Katrina were emblematic of the administration’s incompetence. 6/

When Democrats took back control in 2009, the GOP pushed for austerity, opposed the stimulus with venom and the tea party emerged. McConnell used the filibuster to block bill after bill - infrastructure, climate, immigration, health care. 7/

When the GOP took back control of the House in 2010, they literally held the government hostage. They said they would force the US to default on the debt unless Obama did massive austerity. 8/

The US govt for the last decade has been starved of resources. Obama wanted more money for pandemic response but the GOP congress refused. The GOP have used the power of the purse, the power of congress, to “starve the beast.” 9/

Democrats have also made mistakes, backed bad policies, not pushed hard enough, gone along w/ the rhetoric. But these mistakes are in line w/ any other centrist party in the developed world. 10/

The GOP is uniquely insane and extreme. Their position on climate change is literally not held by any other mainstream party in the developed world. The party much more closely resembles the radical populist parties that are threatening to destroy Europe. 11/

The point when it comes to America’s global decline is that in a two party system - when one party goes off the deep end - that country is going to decline. 12/

Much of America’s decline is therefore self-inflicted. 25 years (and perhaps longer) of gutting the American state has had a real impact. If COVID causes a wave and reckoning within the GOP, America has the potential to reverse its global decline. 13/

America has the potential to revive itself. But it has to stop being a basket case both at home and abroad.

*One correction on tweet 3 - GOP had total control 14 of 25 past 25 yrs, not 18.