My "tangent" as you put it is the subject at hand. I live here, you don't.
Nothing to be defensive of. I understand your envy and in fact sympathize with you.
Hmmmm. Commie? That's the first time that word has entered the conversation. Is there a reason why?
I said nothing of the sort....are you projecting? Insecure? I know for an outsider that the USA spirit is hard to grasp, but you'll have to trust the fact that BY LIVING HERE I can assure you it's alive and well.
Sure, many of the uneducated basement dwelling Bernie supporters will cry and fuss and moan, but the bottom line is that this is the best country in the world, hands down and not even close.
Still waiting on anything at all that supports an argument otherwise.
Flaws with the American political system:
1. Weird outdated traditions: You say I don't understand the system? It's because the system is cooky as shit. I mean what's that thing where they all stand in groups yelling at each other and then they move to each others groups and then count them all about? What kind of a way of voting is that?
2. Incredible amounts of financial influence. Sure this happens in a lot of other countries, mine included but America takes the cake when it comes to the level of sponsorship for developed countries.
You think a system that is bought and paid for by the elite more than any other country is the best system? Spare a few mill?
3. Horrible gerrymandering history that continues to this day. Most of the developed world has sorted this issue out with boundaries set by non partisan commissions yet you still struggle.
4. Outdated first past the post voting system that is undemocratic and will never change. In my country rather than voting left/right there are a whole bunch of political parties and you rank them. If your first preference doesn't get enough votes it goes to your second preference if second doesn't get enough third etc. Called the preferential voting system.
Basically what this results in is a political system that actually represents the varied views and opinions of the people. It allows people to vote for who they want to get elected as their vote isn't thrown away if that person isn't elected. It also ensures that we don't devolve into an absolute two party system like you guys have where you're stuck voting for whoever you think is the lesser evil and this obsession to whether you're left or right.
And now you're stuck with this shit system because it goes against the self interests of the two major parties to change it.
My country has flaws with its system... and number 1 isn't really a big issue.
But 2,3 and 4 are serious flaws with the American democratic system that many other developed countries have addressed. One of which is unlikely to ever be resolved. I could probably go on but those three are enough to eliminate you from the number one spot pretty easily.