Okay, I hate seeing the phrase ‘genuine question’ because it’s usually anything but, but here is a genuine question on which I’d appreciate an American view, once you’re up:
What is going on with those two tweets? As far as I can gather, after decades of exposure to American culture, Americans value two things above almost everything else - free speech and constitutional limits on power. You all learn about them at school, you all value them, and a lot of the time you seem to think only America has them and they’re what makes your country greater than everyone else’s. You don’t see them as a partisan issue and you never have - they’re about individual rights. There’s almost nothing more fundamental to your idea of your country.
Trump is attacking both of them. He wouldn’t be doing it if he wasn’t certain it would play well. What am I missing that means this is acceptable? Have I misunderstood how America sees itself all these years? Or is there (now) something more fundamental that takes precedence? I’ve got to say I’m starting to worry that you might not be able to turn this round.
I am not an American, but I lived there for 7 years until last summer. I don't know if the average American ever truly believed in these things. They are part their national mythology, that's all. Some do truly believe them, but clearly, they are in the minority. Mostly, people believe in them when it suits their aims. After all, how else can we explain the turnaround from Obama to Trump!?
The real gatekeepers of democracy, Congress, has abandoned any notions of enforcing limits on power, because it suits them. It is troubling, but hardy unique to the US. What makes it a bit different is the national mythology that the US is the greatest/best/example democracy in/to the whole world.
As for free speech: I think the concept is poorly understood by most ordinary Americans. I regularly come across Americans complaining that their 'free speech rights' are being violated because a forum operator or moderator moderates a post or bans their account. They even do this with non-US based forums, where the US Constitution could not possibly operate. But this besides the point: the Constitution dictates that, "Government "shall make no law ... abridging the freedom of speech". For some reason, Americans often think this applies to websites, and even foreign websites, such as RAWK.
I do not mean to single out the US. Every country has its own national mythologies. One such mythology is overriding good sense in the UK right now: that Britannia is Great, continues to 'rule the waves', still has an Empire, and will bend potential trading partners to our will.
So, most voters in most countries are thick. And most politicians in most countries are assholes. I am not really surprised by anything; just disappointed.