to feel for the USA under Trump at the moment

[chomalungma]

I know that there are divisions here. Johnson could have done better. But our briefings aren't political and generally everyone is working together.

Anyone who is following Trump and the USA at the moment will know that division is rife in the USA. Trump is still talking about fake news and is using his briefings as a rally.

I just feel for people in the USA at the moment having to deal with all this as well as the virus.

USA is more like the EU' is a myth im too bored of to deal with anymore.

This is an analogy I use a fair bit to try and explain the highly federalized nature of the USA to Brits.
It obviously isn't a perfect fit because the USA is a country and the EU isn't. But it gives you a sense of scale of the USA, the hugely different political landscapes and the tension of an overarching political pull at the core which often pulls one way while differently states or countries pull another.
I do see strong similarities and I have lived in both the EU and the USA and like them both and am exasperated by them both at times.

People are allowed to have different points of view.

hang on HoldMyLobster, that's complete bollocks. Cant let you get away with a lie of that level

Did you forget something?

USA is not like the EU.

It is more like Germany, a federal republic with strong state govts.

The difference is, The BRD has a functioning constitution and a respected leader who all are prepared to listen to and trust.

@MonkeyDishwasher

They get what they deserve, they voted for him

The majority DIDN'T vote for him actually. And what a thoroughly nasty thing to say.

The majority of those who voted did not vote for him, but he won according to the rules.

@BritWifeinUSA

I don't know where you live but where I live the shelves are bare and have been for weeks.

I know many health care professionals and most are crying daily.

My friend rang me in tears last night because her husband who is an ER nurse is on the verge of having a breakdown. They don't have enough PPE gear, they're reusing masks for up to a week. They're working until they drop as some staff have quit. He's showing symptoms and has been working with corona cases and they're refusing to test him. It's horrific.

I see the similarities with Germany but the EU analogy provides the scale of the USA, the size of the country. The sheer physical size of the country impacts how it functions.
It also helps with understanding just how different cultural approaches can be in different states.
The level of EU integration isn't such that it is a unified country as the C19 outbreak shows but it is working towards closer integration and the logical end point of that would be a USA structure. ( which I don't necessarily think is a bad thing)

Seems the Federal Stockpile is not for States to use - according to Kushner

twitter.com/atrupar/status/1245852517474295809

JARED KUSHNER: "The notion of the federal stockpile was it's supposed to be our stockpile. It's not supposed to be states stockpiles that they then use.

I suppose the Americans must love him though, after all they did vote for him in droves.

@thenightsky — not exactly. Hillary Clinton won the popular vote. Also political allegiances in America are very divided along geographical lines. I’m from a large east coast city and I know virtually nobody who likes Trump. In the “red states” (usually the middle of the country, away from the coasts) I might have the complete opposite experience. But in any case it is a HUGE fallacy to say that Americans as a group generally approve of Trump.

What does 'our stockpile' mean?

www.foxnews.com/media/trump-cbs-reporter-kushner-stockpile-remarks

Americans voted for him and they were correct to do so. I hope he gets re-elected. He hasn't started any foreign wars at least.

@orangeblosssom

Please elaborate.

Explain how not starting wars abroad is the minimum level to be better than, say, Biden.
What good has he done to his country?

YABU - they voted for him - he’s never been shy about expressing his views and they still elected him. And highly likely he is going to win again in November unless the country (Democrats) does something about it

He didn't win the popular vote, btw.
He was elected by the Electoral College.
It's not as if the almost 3000000 more people, or the 2% more, who voted for Clinton wanted Trump in the White House.
It's the system, but it's not as if the US people wanted him.

He hasn't started any foreign wars

Only the USA could call the USA attacking someone else a 'foreign war,' like it was the fault of the foreigners for being there. As in, the US Navy minding its own business three miles off their coast, and then they aggressively send out a 'fishing boat' that has to be nuked in self-defence, etc.

Anyways, the good news is Trumpy is well on his way to starting a new Civil War, nutjobs with Second Amendment Rights versus 'terrorists' with thier hands up shouting "Don't Shoot!"