The prize awarded Obama was not for anything specific he had done, but a token of gratitude for what was hoped to come with Obama as President. Sadly, under Republican rule and Trump, in terms of the destruction of relations between allies, our commitments to diplomatic solutions rather than war, and presenting values that make us an example for the world, we are far, far worse off than we were even during the despicable W years. Today’s America is no example in terms of leadership of the world, at least not in a good way.
Seriously. Republican rule under W greatly diminished America’s relationships in the world through W’s “you are with us or with the terrorists” strong-arming of our allies, including getting some of them (Tony Blair) to join the W administration in spreading known lies and covering up the truth.
Never has America had a President us unqualified and unsuited for the office as Trump. Everyone in the world knows it. Never has America had a President as obviously beholden to its geopolitical enemies as Trump, and the whole world knows it. Never has America had an entire political party that knows this, ignores it, and lies about it. And the whole world knows it, and the whole world watches as America does nothing about it.
The moral rot that has long existed in the governance of the Republican Party now defines America to the world. The world’s hope that Obama could return America back to its historic degree of respect and leadership role has been proven wrong; the rot in our nation’s politics is too deep. While we have dithered away precious time stalling an impeachment that will at least be a token acknowledgement of our vile leader, we have also failed to confront the root causes of America’s present image in the world.
I doubt there will ever be another Nobel Prize based on the world’s optimism about our country. America is going to have to prove itself. We are going to have to prove that we are a nation that can be trusted. A nation that values the rule of law at home and our agreements with those across the globe. A nation that is an example of Democracy, rather than a country lead by men looking for a way around it.
The next prize will not be given for the Constitutional ridding ourselves of a horrible man and President for the hope of a better one. It will be given for the hope that America has the ability to rid itself of everything embodied, advocated and tolerated by the Republican Party.
The world sees us for what we are: a country led by a Republican Party complicit in all that Trump and his administration does. The world sees that a once vaunted American journalism is incapable of communicating the facts and truth to almost half of its population that instead rely on the Republican media operations for information. The world sees a Democratic Party unable to rise to the magnitude of threat presented by Donald Trump and a complicit Republican Party. The world sees an entire America where there is little influence by the people and a great willingness to accept things as they are. None of that warrants a prize of any kind, and the world knows it.