Tom Friedman Tells Us What He Learned From His Trip "Down Under"

Tom Friedman describes politics in Australia and New Zealand in this article. The basic difference between politics down under and in the US is that our Republican party has morphed into a Frankenstein monster. Its populist base is built upon a constant flow of misinformation and hatred. It is funded by the most reactionary business leaders in our country, who only believe in a democracy that serves their individual interests. It feels like the John Birch Society, which had always been a fringe group in the US, has taken over the party. The GOP no longer wants to participate in a government in which it shares power. Its goal is to destroy its political opposition and to capture the government. Its not surprising that this is more visible to the people down under than it is to most Americans. It seems perfectly natural to Americans who are immersed in the process by watching it being played out on TV and on the Internet. We live in a world in which reality TV is the new normal.

Friedman's conclusion at the end of the article is the sad part of the story. The problems that we face in America are global problems. The rest of the world has often looked to America for leadership in providing solutions. When it looks in our direction today it can only shake its head and wonder about the America that it used to know.